Journal
AUTOIMMUNITY REVIEWS
Volume 12, Issue 8, Pages 854-859Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2012.09.002
Keywords
Rituximab; ANCA; Vasculitis; Membranous nephropathy; Lupus nephritis; Mixed cryoglobulinemia; Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis; Minimal change disease
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Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody to the CD20 antigen on B-cells that was initially designed and approved for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma in 1997. In the last 15 years, it has emerged as a potent immunosuppressant for many immune-mediated diseases, beginning initially with rheumatoid arthritis, and now extending into several other fields, including clinical nephrology. Based on recent large clinical trials, it is FDA-approved for the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis and continues to be studied in off-label usage for many glomerular diseases, including membranous nephropathy, lupus nephritis, and mixed cryoglobulinemia. It has been used as a treatment in nephrotic syndrome in children and adults; including both minimal change disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Given its efficacy, tolerability and safety profile in comparison to more conventional treatment regimens, RTX is rapidly emerging as a critical treatment modality in glomerular disease. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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