Tacrolimus
DrugParticipants receive an initial total daily dose of tacrolimus depending on the type of organ transplant (heart = 0.075 mg/kg; liver/kidney = 0.3 mg/kg), to be given orally (or via nasogastric tube for liver transplant recipients) in 2 doses in the morning and the evening. The first dose is administered in the morning within days of skin closure (heart = 4 days; liver = 2 days; kidney = within 24 hours following reperfusion). Subsequent tacrolimus doses are taken orally twice a day in the morning and evening and are adjusted on the basis of clinical evidence of efficacy, occurrence of adverse events and observing the recommended whole blood trough level ranges (day 1 through 21 = 10 to 20 ng/mL; day 22 through 365 = 5 to 15 ng/mL).
Other names: Prograf, FK506