Rituxan® (rituximab)

Parent companies: Genentech and Biogen Idec

• Administered via intravenous infusion.


• Binds to a molecule on the surface of B cells and depletes them from the circulation.


• Serious adverse events have been reported in Rituxan-treated patients with other diseases, including PML (as with Tysabri); patients must be closely monitored.


• A Phase II trial in RRMS examined the effect of a single course of treatment, two infusions administered two weeks apart. At 24 and 48 weeks, the number of active lesions was reduced by 91 percent and relapses were reduced by 58 percent.


• A Phase II/III trial of Rituxan in 435 adults with PPMS did not achieve its primary goal of slowing disease progression.


• An ongoing Phase I trial in neuromyelitis optica (NMO), an MS-like disorder, demonstrated a significant reduction in relapses with Rituxan.


• The drug has also been tested in 26 people with RRMS who experienced continued clinical activity despite treatment with one of the approved disease managing treatments. Over the 24 weeks of the trial, participants received four doses of Rituxan while continuing to take their same medication. Participants showed statistically significant improvement in their MS Functional Composite Scores.