Successful Treatment for BK Virus Nephropathy by Leflunomide in a Kidney Transplant Patient: A Case Report

The anti-viral facet of anti-rheumatic drugs: Lessons from COVID-19

“…For several years, LEF has been used as second-line therapy in refractory infection after reducing maintenance immunosuppression. Small case series and a prospective open-label trial analyzed the effect of LEF, used alone or in combination with other drugs (tacrolimus/everolimus, fluoroquinolones), in PVAN; they described a partial success in viremia clearance or better renal outcome [117][118][119]. Nonetheless, as reported by the American Society of Transplantation Infectious disease, true efficacy of these approaches has not been proved so far because of the lack of randomized controlled-trials.…”

S100A8/A9, an Upregulated Host Factor in BK Virus Infection after Kidney Transplantation, Is Associated with Allograft Function Impairment

“…Patients with a decrease in log 10 pBKV and/or uBKV load ≥1.0 were considered to have an improvement in infection. Because leflunomide and mizoribine were reported to have anti-BKV effects, − combined immunosuppressant regimens with or without these drugs were separately analyzed. Twenty-three recipients followed a reduction in the immunosuppressant regimen, such as a reduction in the dose of calcineurin inhibitors and/or mycophenolate mofetil, and nineteen recipients combined with leflunomide or mizoribine, including two patients combined with leflunomide or mizoribine but not followed by a reduction in immunosuppressants.…”