Cyclosporine is a calcineurin inhibitor known for its immunomodulatory properties that prevent organ transplant rejection and treat various inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. It is isolated from the fungus Beauveria nivea. Initially manufactured by Sandoz and approved for use by the FDA in 1983, cyclosporine is now available in various products by Novartis (previously known as Sandoz).
Cyclosporine is approved for a variety of conditions. Firstly, it is approved for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in allogeneic kidney, liver, and heart transplants. It is also used to prevent bone marrow transplant rejection. For the above indications, cyclosporine can be used in conjunction with azathioprine and corticosteroids. Finally, cyclosporine can be used in patients who have chronic transplant rejection and have received previous immunosuppressive therapy and to prevent or treat graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
Secondly, cyclosporine is used for the treatment of patients with severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when they no longer respond to methotrexate alone. It can be used for the treatment of adult non-immunocompromised patients with severe, recalcitrant, plaque psoriasis that have failed to respond to at least one systemic therapy or when systemic therapies are not tolerated or contraindicated. The ophthalmic solution of cyclosporine is indicated to increase tear production in patients suffering from keratoconjunctivitis sicca. In addition, cyclosporine is approved for the treatment of steroid dependent and steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome due to glomerular diseases which may include minimal change nephropathy, focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis or membranous glomerulonephritis.
A cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion is indicated in the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis in adults and children.
Off-label, cyclosporine is commonly used for the treatment of various autoimmune and inflammatory conditions such as atopic dermatitis, blistering disorders, ulcerative colitis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, uveitis, connective tissue diseases, as well as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington Cancer Consortium, Seattle, Washington, United States
Hospital San Juan de Dios, Santiago, Chile
Children's and Women's Hospital of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sankara Nethralaya Super Specialty Clinic, Chennai, India
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, California, United States
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, Washington, United States
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States
University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States
University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington, United States
Rigshospitalet University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States
LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington, United States
University of Torino, Torino, Italy
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States
Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Baptist Hospital of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States
Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, Arizona, United States
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto, California, United States
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