Immunosuppressant Drugs

Key points

• • Immunosuppressants reduce the activity of the immune system, and are used after organ transplants and in autoimmune diseases.
• • Calcineurin inhibitors such as ciclosporin and tacrolimus block the signal that switches on T lymphocytes.
• • Corticosteroids broadly damp inflammation and immune activity, while azathioprine and mycophenolate block the multiplication of immune cells.
• • Newer biological agents are antibodies that target specific immune messengers or cells, such as those that block tumour necrosis factor.
• • Because they lower the body's defences, all of them raise the risk of infection and, over time, of some cancers.