Anti-Rejection Drug May Help Treat PKD

Researchers have found the widely-available transplant drug, rapamycin, greatly reduces the size of enlarged kidneys in patients with PKD.

Rapamycin, also called sirolimus, is an immunosuppressant. The drug is prescribed to help prevent rejection of a new, transplanted kidney. Researchers tested rapamycin in mice and also in a small group of transplant patients. They found the patients’ polycystic kidneys shrank by 25 percent over two years.

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, the drug has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and could soon lead to clinical trials in patients with PKD.

This study comes on the heels of another exciting research announcement. In February, the FDA granted “Fast Track” designation for Tolvaptan, a potential treatment for PKD.

 “These advancements bring hope to the 12.5 million people worldwide living with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD),” said PKD Foundation President and CEO Dan Larson.

To read the full Los Angeles Times article, click here (PDF).

For more information about PKD clinical trials, click here.