Cellcept® | Cellcept (Mycophenolate Mofetil) - 500mg (50 Tablets)

How does Cellpet (Mycophenolate mofetil) work?

Cellcept tablets, capsules, suspension and intravenous infusion all contain the active ingredient mycophenolate mofetil, which is a type of medicine called an immunosuppressant. These medicines reduce the body's immune response. Mycophenolate is broken down in the body to the active medicine called mycophenolic acid.

The immune system normally protects the body from foreign cells and infections by producing antibodies to fight them. A transplanted organ can be attacked by the immune system, as it is recognised by the body as a foreign substance. This is known as "transplant rejection".

Mycophenolate works by blocking the action of a compound called inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, which is required for producing certain blood cells called T- and B-lymphocytes. These are immune cells that are responsible for regulating and triggering immune responses and thereby providing a defence against infection and foreign cells in the body.

By reducing the production of these cells, mycophenolate makes the body less likely to reject foreign material such as transplanted organs.

Mycophenolate is used together with other immunosuppressive medicines (ciclosporin and corticosteroids) as part of the transplant regimen to prevent rejection of heart, kidney and liver transplants.

What is Cellpet (Mycophenolate mofetil) used for?

• Preventing the body rejecting a transplanted heart, liver or kidney (in combination with ciclosporin and corticosteroids).

Cellpet (Mycophenolate mofetil) Side Effects

• Disturbances of the gut such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain
• Decrease in the number of white blood cells, platelets or red blood cells in the blood (leucopenia, thrombocytopenia or anaemia)
• Increased susceptibility to infections
• Disturbances in the levels of chemical components (electrolytes) in the blood
• Ulceration or bleeding in the stomach or intestines
• Headache
• Depression, anxiety
• Confusion
• Seizures (convulsions)
• Dizziness
• Tremor, pins and needles sensations (paraesthesia)
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
• Alteration in taste, loss of appetite
• Cough, shortness of breath (dyspnoea)
• Cold or flu-like symptoms
• Excessive fluid retention in the body tissues, resulting in swelling (oedema)
• Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis), jaundice
• Changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate
• Rash, acne, hair loss
• Increased risk of developing lymphomas and other cancers, particularly skin cancer (see warning above)