Everolimus: efficacy and safety in cardiac transplantation

Importance of the field: Prognosis after cardiac transplantation continues to improve with long-term outcomes limited by malignancy and coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Everolimus may potentially reduce these late term complications, while maintaining the low cellular rejection rates seen with standard therapy.Areas covered in this review: Multiple studies have demonstrated the efficacy of everolimus in reducing acute rejection in heart transplant patients, progression and development of CAV, and the prevention and treatment of common malignancies, including skin cancer and Kaposi sarcoma. This review re-examines these studies with a focus on patient tolerability and safety.What the reader will gain: Tolerability and safety of everolimus remain a concern with pneumonitis, effusions, mouth ulcers, edema and impaired wound healing associated with morbidity and mortality. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated renal function deterioration with concomitant everolimus and a standard dose calcineurin inhibitor (CNI). This impact can be partly reduced with CNI dose reduction without an increase in the rate of rejection.Take home message: If future studies confirm reduced CAV and malignancy rates, everolimus will become an important agent in de novo and maintenance immunotherapy in cardiac transplantation. Patient centered immunotherapy is preferred to protocol-based immunotherapy as it allows tailoring of immune therapy to each individual patient's rejection risk and side profile.