, based on data from a case series of 11 patients.
“We found that treatment with rituximab alone, even at a low dose, not only prevented relapse but also maintained complete remission with a better benefit-to-risk ratio than treatment with corticosteroids,” Julia Sanchez, MD, of Reims (France) University Hospital and her colleagues reported in a research letter in JAMA Dermatology.
The study population consisted of patients diagnosed with pemphigus at a single center from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 31, 2014, and treated with at least one cycle of rituximab for corticosteroid dependence, corticosteroid resistance, or adverse events. All the patients were in remission at the time of the first maintenance dose of rituximab.
All patients received a 1-g rituximab infusion every 6 months for 24-67 months; some patients changed to a once-yearly dose after 18 months. Although 5 patients experienced grade 3 or 4 adverse events (1 patient had sepsis; 2, diabetes; 1, hypertension; and 2, endocrine disorders) between the initial therapy cycle and the first rituximab maintenance infusion, no adverse events were reported by any of the 11 patients during the maintenance therapy period.
All 11 patients remained in remission after their last follow-up visit (an average of 78 months after the first cycle), at which point 10 patients had discontinued the therapy.
“A progressive decrease in serum anti-desmoglein autoantibody levels to less than 14 U/mL occurred in all cases along with clinical complete remission even after maintenance therapy cessation,” Dr. Sanchez and her associates noted.
Future research should address questions including the optimal dose and dosing frequency of rituximab, as well as the cost-effectiveness of the treatment and criteria for treatment withdrawal, they said.
The researchers had no relevant financial conflicts disclosures.
SOURCE: JAMA Dermatol. 2017 Jan 3. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.5176.