Heart Transplant

Christiaan Barnard and his team performed the world’s first human-to-human heart transplant operation on 3 December 1967 in Cape Town, South Africa. It was a major historical event and a significant breakthrough for medical science.¹ The transplant itself was a huge success, although complications led to the patient unfortunately passing 18 days post-op.¹

Much has been learned since then. The first year after a cardiac transplant is the period with the highest mortality, but survival rates at one year have improved to almost 90%.² This is largely due to improved immunosuppression (to prevent rejection of the donor heart) and to the prevention and treatment of infection.² 

Seventy-five percent of patients report no limitation of activity at one year and five years after heart transplant and many patients return to work.²

Solid organ transplant (e.g. heart, kidney, liver and lung) is a life-saving therapy that requires the use of immunosuppressive medications for the rest of a patient’s life.³

The number of patients who do not adhere to prescribed medications after lung or heart transplantation is between 1% and 43%.⁴ This non-adherence is the second most important cause of graft loss within the first three months after transplantation.⁴

Whilst various complex factors play a role in non-compliance with post-organ-transplant immunotherapy, cost is one of the relevant factors.⁵ The advent of generic medications has helped to reduce this cost.³ 

Sandoz and Novartis have over 40 years of experience in transplant care and Sandoz is the #1 provider of generic transplant medications in Europe.⁶ We are proud of our ability to help patients maintain the optimum immunosuppression medication dosing which is so critical to transplant care.⁶