African American patients often experience more gastrointestinal (GI) complications after kidney transplant than Caucasian patients. In addition, African American kidney transplant recipients also experience a higher incidence of acute rejection and have worse outcomes compared with all other ethnic groups. Reasons accounting for these differences are not well understood.~In light of the increased risk of GI complications in African American patients, we will compare in a pilot study, different regimens (described below) that we commonly use in our clinical practice in this population. As part of this study, patients will also fill out a GSRS survey at specified time points to help describe gastrointestinal side effects after transplant.~Pharmacokinetic studies (studies looking at how the drugs are absorbed and broken down) for mycophenolate mofetil or enteric coated mycophenolate sodium have largely been performed in Caucasian populations. There is little information available in African-American patients. This is particularly concerning in the face of the worst clinical outcomes observed after transplantation in African American kidney transplant recipients.~Comparisons: Patients will be randomized to one of two groups~Group 1: Myfortic (enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium) in combination with Prograf (tacrolimus) or its generic equivalent and corticosteroids~Group 2: CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil) or its generic equivalent manufactured by Sandoz in combination with Prograf (tacrolimus) or its generic equivalent and corticosteroids~Since toxicity of mycophenolate mofetil and enteric coated mycophenolate sodium may be influenced by pharmacokinetics (studies that look at how the drugs are absorbed and broken down) of these respective drugs, we will compare the pharmacokinetics of enteric coated mycophenolate sodium and mycophenolate mofetil in a subset of patients. This pharmacokinetic data may have the additional valuable benefit of helping to optimize dosing parameters for mycophenolate mofetil and enteric coated mycophenolate sodium in African American kidney transplant patients in the future.
Myfortic (enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium) has been shown to have similar effectiveness to CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil) in preventing rejection in kidney transplant recipients. However, enteric coated mycophenolate sodium has been thought to possibly be associated with fewer gastrointestinal side effects. Mycophenolate mofetil and enteric coated mycophenolate sodium pharmacokinetics (how the drug is absorbed and broken down) have not been well-studied in African American kidney transplant recipients. The investigators are interested in studying enteric coated mycophenolate sodium and mycophenolate mofetil pharmacokinetics and gastrointestinal side effects in African American kidney transplant recipients.