Sixth kidney transplantation for a woman in France with help of a new drug

A woman received a sixth kidney transplant, a "surgical prowess" and a first in France, conducted at the Necker Children's Hospital, said the Paris Hospital Group AP-HP. This new procedure, which lasted five hours, was made possible by the arrival of a new drug that neutralizes the rare disease afflicting the patient, preventing the destruction of the transplanted organ. Followed since the age of five, the age of five, the patient alternated throughout his life periods of dialysis and kidney transplants, some lost very rapidly because of a recurrence of his illness.

The new drug, eculizumab (Soliris), is entitled to block the destructive consequences of the disease in the small vessels, kidneys and transplant. Thanks to Soliris, in addition to immunosuppressive action against the rejection of the transplant, renal function of the patient is normal now. "This treatment has completely changed the prognosis of the disease" and "other patients treated for several years do not have a recurrence, even after a transplant," said Dr. Legendre. "Initially, we were not sure of getting there," because of the multiple operations that had sustained the patient, noted Professor Arnaud Mejean, the surgeon who performed the transplant.