Difference between Mycophenolate Mofetil vs. Mycophenolate Sodium

The two drugs are not interchangeable, nor dose equivalents.

Mycophenolate mofetil (Cellcept) is a semi-synthetic prodrug that is rapidly hydrolyzed in vivo to form the active metabolite, mycophenolic acid (MPA).

Mycophenolate sodium (Myfortic) is an enteric-coated formulation that allows delayed release of MPA into the small intestine.

Myfortic typically causes less diarrhea, indigestion, and abdominal compared to CellCept [1].

REFERENCES:

1. Manger B, Hiepe F, Schneider M, et al. Impact of switching from mycophenolate mofetil to enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium on gastrointestinal side effects in patients with autoimmune disease: a Phase III, open-label, single-arm, multicenter study. Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 2015;8:205-213. Published 2015 Jul 21. doi:10.2147/CEG.S81922