Basiliximab administration

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dose of daclizumab is 1 mg/kg within 24 hours of transplant surgery and then 1 mg/kg administered every 2 weeks after surgery for a total of five doses.7,9,11 No dose adjustment is necessary in renal impairment, but no data are available for dose adjustments in hepatic dysfunction. Several trials have shown that a shorter dosing regimen of daclizumab, two doses given in a similar manner as basiliximab, may be as safe and effective as the full five-dose course.12,13... 

Daclizumab is a humanized IgG that binds to the alpha subunit of the IL-2 receptor. Its indications are identical to that of basiliximab, but the mode of administration differs. 

Warnings Should be administered in facilities equipped and staffed with adequate laboratory and supportive medical resources Administration of proteins may cause possible anaphylactoid reactions (none reported) Immunosuppressive therapies increase risk for lymphoproliferative disorders and opportunistic infections (incidence in basiliximab-treated patients is similar to placebo)... 

Basiliximab is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to this antibody. There is a slightly increased risk of GI discomfort compared with placebo after treatment with basiliximab. However, there is no difference in the incidence of malignancies and infections between patients receiving basiliximab versus placebo. Furthermore, it does not increase the adverse effects resulting from the administration of a standard immunosuppressive regimen and other medications. 

The cytokine IL-2 plays a key role in growth, differentiation, and activation of T-cells. The antibodies daclizumab and basiliximab, which recognize the a5 subunit of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2Ra) and block binding of IL-2, have been clinically effective as immunosuppressive agents [122], However for reasons of cost, administration, and possible side effects, they are used only pre- and post-transplantation, and in the acute phase of transplant rejection. This state of affairs has precipitated interest in small-molecule inhibition of this interaction. 

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