Thymoglobulin--new approaches to optimal outcomes

Abstract

Thymoglobulin has a proven safety and efficacy profile both as treatment of acute rejection and as induction therapy in organ transplantation. The most common adverse events associated with Thymoglobulin are cytokine release syndrome, thrombocytopenia, and lymphopenia. Results of early studies showed an increased rate of cytomegalovirus disease associated with Thymoglobulin treatment, but recent studies indicate that routine administration of modern antiviral prophylaxis can reduce this risk. More research comparing Thymoglobulin with basiliximab will help individualize regimens by matching the choice of induction agent with the risk profile of each transplant recipient. The proven efficacy and safety profile of Thymoglobulin provides an excellent starting point for future investigations. Horse ATG (hATG) or Thymoglobulin + Cyclosporine are an efficacious treatment for aplastic anemia. Due to its higher potency Thymoglobulin may be superior to hATG, but further studies are required for confirmation. GvHD prophylaxis with Thymoglobulin may result in less acute and chronic GvHD, lower TRM, improved survival and quality of life in myeloablative or reduced intensity conditioning protocols in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cells from related or unrelated donors. Attributable to its polyclonal nature, Thymoglobulin provides multifaceted immunomodulation suggesting that its use should be included in the immunosuppressant therapeutic armamentarium to help reduce the incidence of organ rejection and GvHD, and for treatment of aplastic anemia.