Rituximab

PHILADELPHIA — Rituximab is comparable in terms of safety and efficacy to cyclophosphamide among patients with interstitial lung disease associated with connective tissue diseases, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2022.

SAN DIEGO — In patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis, avacopan and rituximab may offer an alternative to glucocorticoids-based management, according to a presenter at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology West.

In patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving rituximab, a positive humoral response following COVID-19 vaccination persists regardless of continued rituximab infusion, according to data published in Rheumatology.

A single, 500 mg dose of rituximab was associated with greater probability of minimal myasthenia gravis manifestations and reduced the need for rescue medications compared with placebo, researchers reported in JAMA Neurology.

Although biosimilar-to-biosimilar switching is not covered by health regulations or guidance, a systematic literature review suggests the practice is safe and effective, according to data published in BioDrugs.

Infants who have been exposed to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in utero should receive the rotavirus vaccine in the first 6 months of life, according to new recommendations from the American College of Rheumatology.

Patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases receiving B-cell depleting therapies are at risk for COVID-19 regardless of vaccine status, but outpatient use of monoclonal antibodies improves clinical outcomes, according to data.

The intersection between COVID-19 and rheumatoid arthritis still carries considerable risks and unknowns more than 2 years into the pandemic, said Jeffrey Sparks, MD, MMSc, director of immuno-oncology and autoimmunity at Harvard Medical School.

Results of a study showed that antirituximab antibodies are common among patients with pemphigus who have been treated with rituximab, according to data published in JAMA Dermatology.

Rheumatologists should assess for PR3- and MPO-ANCA using a “high-quality antigen-specific assay” as the primary testing method for patients suspected of ANCA-associated vasculitis, according to updated EULAR recommendations.