The Effect of Voriconazole on Tacrolimus in Kidney Transplantation Recipients: A Real-World Study

Abstract

Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressant with a narrow therapeutic window. Tacrolimus exposure increased significantly during voriconazole co-therapy. The magnitude of this interaction is highly variable, but it is hard to predict quantitatively. We conducted a study on 91 kidney transplantation recipients with voriconazole co-therapy. Furthermore, 1701 tacrolimus concentration data were collected. Standard concentration adjusted by tacrolimus daily dose (C/D) and weight-adjusted standard concentration (CDW) increased to 6 times higher during voriconazole co-therapy. C/D and CDW increased with voriconazole concentration. Patients with the genotype of CYP3A5 *3/*3 and CYP2C19 *2/*2 or *2/*3 were more variable at the same voriconazole concentration level. The final prediction model could explain 54.27% of the variation in C/D and 51.11% of the variation in CDW. In conclusion, voriconazole was the main factor causing C/D and CDW variation, and the effect intensity should be quantitative by its concentration. Kidney transplant recipients with CYP3A5 genotype of *3/*3 and CYP2C19 genotype of *2/*2 and *2/*3 should be given more attention during voriconazole co-therapy. The prediction model established in this study may help to reduce the occurrence of rejection.

Keywords

• tacrolimus
• voriconazole
• kidney transplantation
• drug interaction