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Rituximab

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Rituximab

Rituximab, sold under the brand name Rituxan among others, is a monoclonal antibody medication used to treat certain autoimmune diseases and types of cancer. It is used for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (in children and adults, but not recommended in elderly patients), rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, pemphigus vulgaris, myasthenia gravis and Epstein–Barr virus-positive mucocutaneous ulcers. It is given by slow intravenous infusion (injected slowly through an IV line).

The most common side effects with intravenous infusions are reactions related to the infusion (such as fever, chills and shivering) while most common serious side effects are infusion reactions, infections and heart-related problems. Similar side effects are seen when it is injected under the skin, with the exception of reactions around the injections site (pain, swelling and rash), which occur more frequently with the skin injections.

Severe side effects include reactivation of hepatitis B in those previously infected, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and death. It is unclear if use during pregnancy is safe for the developing fetus or newborn baby.

Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against the protein CD20, which is primarily found on the surface of immune system B cells. When it binds to this protein it triggers cell death.

Rituximab was approved for medical use in 1997. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Rituxan is co-marketed by Biogen and Genentech in the US, by Roche elsewhere except Japan, and co-marketed by Chugai Pharmaceuticals and Zenyaku Kogyo in Japan.

Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeted against CD20, a surface antigen present on B cells. It acts by depleting normal as well as pathogenic B cells while sparing plasma cells and hematopoietic stem cells, which do not express the CD20 surface antigen.

In the United States, rituximab is indicated to treat:

In the European Union, rituximab is indicated for the treatment of follicular lymphoma and diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (two types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a blood cancer); chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL, another blood cancer affecting white blood cells); severe rheumatoid arthritis (an inflammatory condition of the joints); two inflammatory conditions of blood vessels known as granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA); moderate to severe pemphigus vulgaris, an autoimmune disease characterised by widespread blistering and erosion of the skin and mucous membranes (the linings of internal organs). 'Autoimmune' means that the disease is caused by the immune system (the body's natural defences) attacking the body's own cells.

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