Budde K, Prashar R, Haller H, et al. - In this phase 3 trial, the efficacy/safety of conversion from CNI-based to belatacept-based maintenance immunosuppression in kidney transplant recipients was evaluated.

• A total of 446 stable renal transplant recipients, 6-60 months post-transplantation under CNI-based immunosuppression, were randomized to belatacept conversion (n = 223) or CNI continuation (n = 223).

• Outcomes revealed a similar rate of death or graft loss, improved renal function, and a numerically higher biopsy-proven acute rejection rate, but a lower incidence of de novo donor-specific antibodies, in correlation with switching from CNI-based to belatacept-based immunosuppression.