PittPharmacy faculty member Raman Venkataramanan, PhD presented at the International Pediatric Transplant Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, May-June 2017. The title of his presentation was "Generic drug use in Organ Transplant Patients"
Venkataramanan presented current data on the impact of switching transplant patients on brand name immunsuppressive drug products to generic immunosuppressive drug products. The data from adult transplant patients indicate that it is generally safe to switch patients from brand to generic, or to start patients on generic immunosuppressive drugs immediately after transplant. However, therapeutic monitoring around the time of switch is critical to avoid any rejection or toxicity. In contrast limited data exists in pediatric transplant patients and there is an immediate need for multi center collaboration for this type of evaluation.
The International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) is a professional organization of individuals in the field of pediatric transplantation. The purpose of the Association is to advance the science and practice of pediatric transplantation worldwide in order to improve the health of all children who require such treatment. The Association is dedicated to promoting technical and scientific advances in pediatric transplantation and to advocating for the rights of all children who need transplantation.
Venkataramanan is a professor in the pharmaceutical sciences department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy
