Efficacy and Safety of Enteric-coated Mycophenolate Sodium (EC-MPS) in Comparison to Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) in de Nove Heart Patients

Inclusion criteria * Male or female cardiac patients 18-65 years old undergoing primary heart transplantation treated with CS-ME and corticosteroids as basic immunosuppression. * Females of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to enrollment. Effective contraception must be used during the trial and for 6 weeks following discontinuation of the study medication, even where there has been a history of infertility. * Patients who are willing and able to participate in the full course of the study and from whom written informed consent has been obtained. Exclusion criteria * Patients with donor hearts greater than 60 years of age and/or with cold ischemia time of more than 6 hours and/or donor hearts which have obvious coronary disease or are known to have heart disease at time of transplant. * Patients on Left Ventricular Assist Device who have received any immunotherapy prior to transplantation or who are scheduled to receive immunotherapy thereafter. * Patients with Panel Reactive Antibodies (PRA) 25%. * Patients with serum creatinine 3.0mg/dL.. * Females of childbearing potential who are planning to become pregnant, who are pregnant and/or lactating, who are unwilling to use effective means of contraception. * Patients with a history of significant coagulopathy or medical condition requiring long term anti-coagulation after transplantation (low aspirin treatment is allowed). Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply