Pharmaceutical Care in Transplantation: Current Challenges and Future Opportunities

The document reviewed the progress and challenges in pharmaceutical care for organ transplantation, noting improved graft survival rates for kidney, liver, and heart transplants but low long-term survival for lung transplants and racial disparities in kidney transplants. It discussed the complexity and side effects of immunosuppressive regimens, the financial burden of transplantation, and the limitations of Medicare coverage for post-transplant medications. A 2010 survey indicated that over 70% of kidney transplant programs faced medication affordability issues, with 68% linking nonadherence to patient deaths and graft loss. Anxiety and depression were common due to immunosuppressive therapy side effects. Promising future directions included nanotherapy, noninvasive tests for rejection risk, and potential reduction or elimination of immunosuppression through stem cell and T-regulatory cell therapies.