Pharmacokinetics of FK 506 following oral administration: a comparison of FK 506 and cyclosporine.

Abstract

FK 506 is currently used as the primary immunosuppressant in over 800 organ transplant patients at the University of Pittsburgh. FK 506 is a macrolide and is chemically very different from any other immunosuppressive drug used currently in transplant patients. However, FK 506 is very similar to cyclosporine (CyA) in a number of physicochemical properties and its mechanism of action (Table 1).1,2 The objective of the present study is to determine the pharmacokinetics of FK 506 after oral administration, to compare its kinetic properties with CyA, and to discuss the clinical relevance of the differences in the kinetic properties. Table 1 Physicochemical Properties of FK 506 and CyA