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Rituximab in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis

Current Rheumatology Reports volume 19, Article number: 6 (2017) Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to describe the efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) as a remission induction and maintenance therapy in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Recent Findings

A PubMed search was carried out to track down articles published between February 2006 and February 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that encompassed patients with AAV were included. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League against Rheumatism (EULAR) 2014–2015 online abstracts were also reviewed whether they were RTCs or not. Ten PubMed RCTs were analyzed along with eight ACR and four EULAR abstracts. RTX was not inferior to cyclophosphamide (CYC) for remission induction in AAV; it was superior to CYC in patients with relapsing disease and superior for remission maintenance in comparison with azathioprine (AZA).

Summary

Rituximab is a therapeutic option to induce and maintain remission in patients with AAV.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology, J. M. Ramos Mejia Hospital, 609 General Urquiza Street, Buenos Aires, 1221, Argentina

    Romina I. Hassan

  2. Birmingham VA Medical Center, 700 19th St S., Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA

    Angelo L. Gaffo

  3. Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1825 University Blvd, SHEL 306, Birmingham, AL, 35294-2182, USA

    Angelo L. Gaffo

Authors
  1. Romina I. Hassan
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  2. Angelo L. Gaffo
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Correspondence to Romina I. Hassan.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is a part of the Topical Collection on Vasculitis

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Hassan, R.I., Gaffo, A.L. Rituximab in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis. Curr Rheumatol Rep 19, 6 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-017-0632-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-017-0632-1

Keywords

  • Rituximab
  • Vasculitis
  • ANCA
  • Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA)
  • Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA)
  • Eosinophilicgranulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA)