. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Jul 10.

Published in final edited form as: Sci Transl Med. 2019 Jul 10;11(500):eaau0143. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aau0143

Table 1.

Select immunosuppressive agents and their targets.

Generic name	Brand or other name	Primary target/action	FDA approved for use in human transplantation
Abatacept	CTLA4-Ig	Blocks CD80/CD86 on antigen-presenting cells; prevents CD28 T cell activation	Off label
Alemtuzumab	Campath1-H	Depletes T cells, some B cells (not plasma cells). Expression on other immune cells varies	Off label
	Anti-CD52
	Lemtrada
Alefacept	LFA3-Ig	Blocks LFA3/CD2, results in T memory cell apoptosis	No
Anti-thymocyte globulin	ATG	Primarily T cell depletion	Yes
Anti-thymocyte globulin	Thymoglobulin	Primarily T cell depletion	Yes
Basiliximab	Anti-IL-2R antibody	Targets IL-2Rα (CD25) on activated T cells; blocks IL-2R	Yes
Belatacept	LEA29Y	Same as abatacept, but higher affinity	Yes
	(CTLA4-Ig variant)
	Nulojix
Bortezomib	Proteasome inhibitor	Plasma cell apoptosis	Off label
Cyclophosphamide	Cytoxan; CYP	Myeloablative drug	Off label
Cyclosporine	CSA	Calcineurin inhibitor; prevents IL-2 production	Yes
Efalizumab	Anti-LFA-1	Targets T memory cells	No
Efalizumab	Raptiva	Targets T memory cells	No
Mycophenolate Mofetil	MMF	Inhibits T and B cell proliferation	Yes
Rituximab	Anti-CD20 antibody	Targets CD20 on B cells (not plasma cells) and induces their apoptosis	Off label
Rituximab	Rituxan		Off label
Sirolimus	Rapamycin/Rapamune	mTOR inhibitor; blocks T and B cell activation/proliferation	Yes
Tacrolimus	FK506	Calcineurin inhibitor; prevents IL-2 production	Yes