Mycophenolic acid Disease Interactions

Serious and sometimes fatal infections have been reported in patients receiving immunosuppressive agents. Patients receiving immunosuppressants are at increased risk of developing bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infections, and new or reactivated viral infections including opportunistic infections. Caution should be exercised when considering their use in patients with severe or chronic infections. It is recommended to interrupt therapy in patients who develop a new infection while undergoing treatment and to monitor these patients closely for any sign or symptom indicative of infection.

Immunosuppressive agents may increase the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Certain agents are contraindicated in patients who have or have had PML. Patients receiving chronic immunosuppressant or immunomodulatory therapy or who have systemic medical conditions resulting in significantly compromised immune system function should not be treated with these agents. Health care professionals should monitor patients for any new sign or symptom suggestive of PML. Therapy dosing should be withheld immediately and an appropriate diagnostic evaluation should be performed at the first sign or symptom suggestive of PML.

The use of mycophenolic acid should be avoided in patients with rare hereditary deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase (HGPRT) such as Lesch-Nyhan and Kelley-Seegmiller syndromes because it may cause an exacerbation of disease symptoms.

The use of live attenuated vaccines should be avoided during treatment with mycophenolic acid; examples include (but not limited to) the following: intranasal influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, oral polio, BCG, yellow fever, varicella, and TY21a typhoid vaccines.

The use of mycophenolic acid may cause gastrointestinal bleeding (requiring hospitalization), intestinal perforations, gastric ulcers, and duodenal ulcers. Mycophenolic acid should be administered with caution in patients with active serious digestive system disease.

The use of mycophenolic acid increases the risk of developing lymphomas and other malignancies, particularly of the skin. Patients with increased risk for skin cancer, exposure to sunlight and UV light should be limited by wearing protective clothing and using a sunscreen with a high protection factor. Care should be exercised when using mycophenolic acid in patients with these conditions.