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Rituximab
Biopharmaceutical drug / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rituximab, sold under the brand name Rituxan among others, is a monoclonal antibody medication used to treat certain autoimmune diseases and types of cancer.[16] It is used for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (in children and adults, but not recommended in elderly patients), rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, pemphigus vulgaris, myasthenia gravis and Epstein–Barr virus-positive mucocutaneous ulcers.[16][17][18][19] It is given by slow intravenous infusion (injected slowly through an IV line).[16]
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Monoclonal antibody | |
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Type | Whole antibody |
Source | Chimeric (mouse/human) |
Target | CD20 |
Clinical data | |
Trade names | Rituxan, Mabthera, others |
Biosimilars | rituximab-abbs,[1] rituximab-pvvr,[2] rituximab-arrx,[3] Blitzima[4] Riabni,[3] Rixathon,[5] Riximyo,[6] Ruxience,[2] Truxima[1] |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a607038 |
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Routes of administration | Intravenous |
Drug class | Monoclonal antibody |
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Bioavailability | 100% (IV) |
Elimination half-life | 30 to 400 hours (varies by dose and length of treatment) |
Excretion | Uncertain: may undergo phagocytosis and catabolism in RES |
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ECHA InfoCard | 100.224.382 ![]() |
Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C6416H9874N1688O1987S44 |
Molar mass | 143860.04 g·mol−1 |
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Common side effects which often occur within two hours of the medication being given include rash, itchiness, low blood pressure, and shortness of breath.[medical citation needed] Infections are also common.[16]
Severe side effects include reactivation of hepatitis B in those previously infected, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and death.[16][20] It is unclear if use during pregnancy is safe for the developing fetus or newborn baby,[7][16] but it is not proven harmful.
Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against the protein CD20, which is primarily found on the surface of immune system B cells.[21] When it binds to this protein it triggers cell death.[16]
Rituximab was approved for medical use in 1997.[21] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[22] Rituxan is co-marketed by Biogen and Genentech in the US, by Roche elsewhere except Japan, and co-marketed by Chugai Pharmaceuticals and Zenyaku Kogyo in Japan.[23]