Kahan 1999.

Methods	Placebo controlled RCT Stratified based on donor source
Participants	Setting: National multicentre (21) Country: USA First, cadaveric (70%) or living donor kidney transplant Mean age (± SD) Treatment group: 44.9 ± 11.79 Control group: 46.2 ± 12.00 Number (treatment/control): 348 randomised, 346 analysed (174/173) Sex (M/F) Treatment group: 117/56 Control group: 106/67
Interventions	Treatment group Basiliximab: 20 mg on days 0 and 4 Control group Placebo Baseline immunosuppression CSA: trough levels 150‐450 ng/mL (weeks 1‐4), 100‐300 ng/mL for remainder of study Steroids: 0.5‐2.0 mg/kg/d taper to 20 mg/d by day 21 and at least 7.5.mg/d by day 90
Outcomes	Mortality Graft loss Acute rejection Infection/CMV Delayed graft function Malignancy
Notes	1 year follow‐up
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Stated "randomized" no further information provided
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not stated
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) Objective outcomes	Unclear risk	Double blind, blinding of outcome assessors not stated
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) Subjective outcomes	Unclear risk	Double blind, blinding of outcome assessors not stated
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	ITT analysis reported, 2 patients (1 from each group) were not transplanted. All other patients followed up or accounted for
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Primary outcomes for this review (death, graft loss and acute rejection) have been reported
Other bias	High risk	Supported by a grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals