What is Prograf?

Tacrolimus (also FK-506 or fujimycin, trade names Prograf, Advagraf, 'Protopic) is an immunosuppressive drug used mainly after allogeneic organ transplant to reduce the activity of the patient's immune system and to lower the risk of organ rejection. It is also used in a topical preparation in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (eczema), severe refractory uveitis after bone marrow transplants, exacerbations of minimal change disease, TH2-mediated diseases such as Kimura's disease, and the skin condition vitiligo.

It is a 23-membered macrolide lactone discovered in 1984 from the fermentation broth of a Japanese soil sample that contained the bacterium Streptomyces tsukubaensis. It reduces interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by T-cells.