Is rituximab effective for induction of remission in ANCA-associated vasculitis?

Adding rituximab to the treatment with corticosteroids has been proposed as a therapeutic alternative for inducing remission in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, especially when fertility is a concern, or when there is contraindication or intolerance to cyclophosphamide. Searching in Epistemonikos database, which is maintained by screening 30 databases, we identified only one systematic review including three pertinent randomized controlled trials. We combined the evidence using meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings following the GRADE approach. We concluded rituximab may slightly increase induction of remission rate, but it may also increase the risk of infection. It is not clear whether it increases the risk of cancer, or whether increases or decreases mortality because the certainty of the evidence is very low.