Rituxan - Rituximab - Dosage - Side Effects - Interactions - Warnings

03/01/2006, Rituxan, the world's best-selling cancer drug, has been FDA approved to be used in combination with methotrexate to treat rheumatoid arthritis by reducing the signs and symptoms in adult patients who have moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis and have failed one or more anti-TNF drugs e.g. Enbrel (etanercept), Remicade (infliximab), or Humira (adalimumab).

A fatal case of PML (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy) has been identified in a rheumatoid arthritis patient who participated in a safety extension clinical trial for Rituxan. Consequently, the FDA has issued a warning and will update Rituxan prescribing information to include PML.

11/16/2006, Subsequent Rituxan (rituximab) treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had an inadequate response to previous treatment with one or more anti-TNF drugs (Enbrel, Remicade, or Humira) produced a better outcome in a higher number of patients than with their first course of Rituxan treatment.

Patient education for Rituxan / rituximab injections. Rituxan is currently used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and rheumatoid arthritis. Rituxan may be given as a single medicine or as part of a regimen containing chemotherapy.

Some of the newest biologic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis are monoclonal antibodies. What is a monoclonal antibody?

Rituxan is one of the biologic drug options for inflammatory types of arthritis.

10/31/2005, Rituxan (rituximab) has been granted "priority" review status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

04/07/2005, The Phase III study of Rituxan for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has demonstrated that more study participants treated with Rituxan achieved ACR20 (20% improvement in symptoms) at week 24 compared to placebo.

06/17/2004, Rituxan, a drug used to target B-cells, is showing promise as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

10/26/2003, A single, short course of treatment with Rituxan (two infusions during the first 15 days of treatment) alone, or in combination with methotrexate or cyclophosphamide improved symptoms in patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis for up to 48 weeks, compared to methotrexate alone.

06/01/2001, News of exciting research developments and a potential cure for rheumatoid arthritis was splashed everywhere last November. There has been an eerie silence about it ever since. Professor Jonathan CW Edwards lets us know where things stand.

11/20/2000, Were the recent reports which hyped B-lymphocyte depletion therapy as a potential cure for rheumatoid arthritis accurate or were the reports irresponsible journalism?

11/01/2000, Researchers from University College in London have presented findings from an experimental new rheumatoid arthritis treatment which involves B-lymphocyte depletion. Some say it's a "cure", others say a "remission", but everyone agrees it's exciting.