"ATHENA Trial: Azathioprine Safe, Cost-effective Option For Kidney Transplant Recipients" - Melissa J. Webb
Results from the ATHENA trial presented at ASN Kidney Week suggested azathioprine conferred similar outcomes as mycophenolate mofetil for kidney transplant recipients, according to researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Paolo Cravedi, MD, PhD, assistant professor of nephrology and medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai told attendees at a press conference that the study followed two large trials from the 1990s that found mycophenolate mofetil was associated with a significant reduction in acute cellular rejection compared to azathioprine in kidney transplant recipients. According to Dr. Cravedi, “Our cost analysis showed that putting a kidney transplant recipient on azathioprine instead of mycophenolate mofetil would save 3,500 over one year of treatment.”
— Paolo Cravedi, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Nephrology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai