Rituximab in Pemphigus Vulgaris: A Review of Monoclonal Antibody Therapy in Dermatology

Rituximab therapy improves recalcitrant Pemphigus vulgaris

Pemphigus is a severe life-threatening blistering disease associated with autoantibodies against cell adhesion proteins desmogleins 1 and 3. Patients with severe pemphigus commonly show high rates of relapse after conventional immunosuppressive therapy. The newly developed drug Rituximab showed impressing promises in the treatment of refractory pemphigus vulgaris (PV). In the present study the ...

Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab) in the treatment of pemphigus.

BACKGROUND Pemphigus is a severe autoimmune blistering disorder caused by autoantibodies to desmoglein 1 and 3. The disease course is typically severe, thus requiring multiple immunosuppressive agents. The treatment is still challenging and in some patients with recalcitrant disease, therapies fail and therapeutic options are limited. OBJECTIVES To investigate whether depletion of B lymphocyt...

Rituximab in the Treatment of Pemphigus Vulgaris

INTRODUCTION Rituximab is increasingly used in patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) who are nonresponders to conventional therapy. METHODS A PubMed search was conducted using the words pemphigus vulgaris and rituximab therapy from papers published between 2000 and 2012. Two protocols were used. In the lymphoma protocol, patients received four weekly infusions of rituximab (dose 375 mg/m(2))....

ACTH Therapy in Pemphigus Vulgaris

Off-label use of rituximab in dermatology: pemphigus treatment*

Since its approval in 1997 by the FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration), rituximab has been used for certain B-cell lymphomas and treatment-resistant rheumatoid arthritis. Nevertheless, over the past 14 years, many case reports have demonstrated the efficacy of off-label rituximab in several dermatological inflammatory conditions. This study describes two cases of pemphigus vulgaris ...