Rituximab in Practice: Clinical Evaluation of Patients with Pemphigus after Rituximab Administration

pay.thelady61 shared this article with you from Inoreader Rituximab in Practice: Clinical Evaluation of Patients with Pemphigus after Rituximab Administration Via Dermatologic Therapy Abstract Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) is a rare autoimmune blistering disease, which mainly causes mucosal and/or cutaneous lesions. In June 2018, FDA approved Rituximab (RTX)‐ a B‐cell depleting agent‐ for the management of patients with moderate‐to‐severe pemphigus. Although the majority of patients respond well to this drug, some do not reach complete remission with a single cycle of RTX. In this review, following an overview of RTX and its clinical outcomes, we have focused on the possible outcomes after RTX therapy in patients with PV. The response is defined into four main categories; complete responders, partial responders, non‐responders, and paradoxical reactions, based on three possibilities of reaching the consolidation phase after three months, reaching remission until six months, and the ability of corticosteroid tapering in six months after RTX administration. Concerning the safety of RTX, three categories of infusion reactions, short and long‐term side effects are d iscussed. Additionally, we have suggested approaches for the evaluation of clinical and serological responses at different critical time‐points, including one, two, three, and six months after RTX administration. Finally, available markers to predict the response to RTX and research gaps in the field of RTX therapy have been summarized. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.