Rituximab

Tanya Doan1, Elena Massarotti

  • 1Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.

Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that targets the CD20 molecule on the B-cell surface. It is the first antibody of its kind to be licensed for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Rituximab was found to be effective, well-tolerated and has a good safety profile, though its precise cellular effects are still not well understood. Rituximab has been shown to be of therapeutic benefit in various autoimmune diseases in which B lymphocytes play a role. This article summarizes the current literature regarding the use of rituximab in lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and other selected autoimmune diseases.

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