Mizoribine therapy combined with steroids and mizoribine blood concentration monitoring for idiopathic membranous nephropathy with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome.

Background: We designed a prospective and randomized trial of mizoribine (MZR) therapy combined with prednisolone (PSL) for idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS).

Methods: Patients with IMN were divided into 2 groups, and MZR combined with PSL was administered for 2 years. PSL was initially prescribed at 40 mg/day and tapered. MZR was given once-a-day at 150 mg and 3-times-a-day at 50 mg each to groups 1 and 2. Serum MZR concentrations from 0 to 4 h after administration were examined within one month of treatment. The concentration curve and peak serum level (C ) of MZR were estimated by the population pharmacokinetic (PPK) parameters of MZR.

Results: At 2 years, 10 of 19 patients (52.6 %) in group 1 and 7 of 18 patients (38.9 %) in group 2 achieved complete remission (CR). The time-to-remission curve using the Kaplan-Meier technique revealed an increase in the cumulative CR rate in group 1, but no significant difference between the groups. Meanwhile, there was a significant difference in C between groups 1 and 2 (mean ± SD: 1.20 ± 0.52 vs. 0.76 ± 0.39 μg/mL, p = 0.04), and C levels in CR cases were significantly higher than those in non-CR cases. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that C more than 1.1 µg/mL was necessary for CR in once-a-day administration.

Conclusion: Administration of MZR once a day is useful when combined with PSL for treatment of IMN with SRNS. In addition, it is important to assay the serum concentration of MZR and to determine C , and more than 1.1 µg/mL of C is necessary for CR.