rituximab

Pr CAULIN Charles, Président, thérapeutique, ParisPr AULAGNER Gilles, pharmacien, représentantdes HCL, LyonMme BONGRAND Marie-Claude, pharmacien,représentante des Pharmaciens de CHU, MarseilleDr DUMARCET Nathalie, AfssapsDr CHASSANY Olivier, méthodologiste, ParisMme FAUCHER-GRASSIN Joëlle, pharmacien,représentante des Pharmaciens de CHU PoitiersPr LAVILLE Maurice, praticien hospitalier,représentant des HCL, LyonMme MONTAGNIER-PETRISSANS Catherine,pharmacien, représentante de la Juste prescriptionde l’AP-HP, ParisM. LIEVRE Michel, pharmacologue, LyonMme PIVOT, pharmacien, représentante des HCLLyonPr RICHÉ Christian, pharmacologue, BrestM. ROPERS Jacques, AfssapsDr ROSENHEIM Michel, médecin de santépublique, ParisLa Commission d’AMM du 8 Novembre 2007 présidée par le Pr Daniel VITTECOQ n’a pas émisd’objection à ce référentiel, qui a également été visé par la Commission de la transparence de laHAS, présidée par le Pr Gilles BOUVENOT.Résumés-abstractsBraendstrup P, Bjerrum OW, Nielsen OJ, Jensen BA, Clausen NT, Hansen PB, Andersen I, Schmidt K, AndersenTM, Peterslund NA, Birgens HS, Plesner T, Pedersen BB, Hasselbalch HC. Rituximab chimeric anti-CD20monoclonal antibody treatment for adult refractory idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Am J Hematol. 2005Apr;78(4):275-80.Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is an autoimmune disease which involves opsonization of platelets byautoantibodies directed against different surface glycoproteins, leading to their premature destruction by thereticuloendothelial system. Management of patients with refractory ITP is difficult. Recent studies have shown thatrituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, is useful in the treatment of these patients, with overallresponse rates of about 50%. Most published reports have included a small number patients including casereports. The present study reports the results of a retrospective Danish multicenter study of rituximab in thetreatment of adult patients with refractory ITP. Thirty-five patients (median age 52 years, range 17-82 years, 17males) were included. One patient had immune thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. All patients had receivedprednisolone (Pred). Next to Pred, 25 patients had been treated with high-dose IgG, and in 16 patients asplenectomy had been performed. Sixteen patients had been treated with azathioprine. Other treatmentsincluded, e.g., cyclosporine, danazol, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, interferon, and dexamethasone. Thepatients were treated with a dose regimen of 375 mg/m2 i.v. approximately once weekly for 4 consecutive weeks.Six patients received a fixed dose of 500 mg disregarding their weight supplemented by 100 mg ofmethylprednisone i.v. or 50-100 mg of Pred given as premedication together with an antihistamine just beforeinfusion of rituximab. The large majority of patients also received Pred and, in some cases, other concomitantimmunosuppressive treatment during part of their rituximab treatment. A complete response (CR) was defined asa rise in the platelet count > 100 x 10(9)/L, a partial response (PR) as a rise in the platelet count > 50 x 10(9)/L,and a minor response (MR) as a rise in the platelet count < 50 x 10(9)/L. No response (NR) was defined as noincrease in the platelet count. Because 4 patients were treated twice, a total of 39 outcomes of rituximabtreatment were evaluated. Rituximab proved to be effective in 17 of 39 treatments [overall response 44% with 7CR (18%) (1 patient showed a CR twice), 6 PR (15%), and 4 MR (10%)]. In 9/13 cases of CR or PR, the response(platelet level > 50 x 10(9)/L) was prompt, 1-2 weeks after the first infusion. The remaining patients responded 3-8weeks later. Patients with CR and PR have been in remission for a median of 47 weeks. In general the sideeffects were few. In 2 cases, the treatment was stopped because of side effects either during or after the firstinfusion. Two fatal outcomes were recorded. A 71-year-old female with severe lung disease died 6 days after thefirst infusion of respiratory failure. The other patient, a 73-year-old man also with severe chronic obstructive lungdisease, died of pneumonia approximately 13 weeks following the last rituximab treatment. It is concluded thatrituximab may be a useful alternative therapy in patients with severe and symptomatic ITP refractory toconventional treatment.Cooper N, Stasi R, Cunningham-Rundles S, Feuerstein MA, Leonard JP, Amadori S, Bussel JB. The efficacy andsafety of B-cell depletion with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody in adults with chronic immune thrombocytopenicpurpura. Br J Haematol. 2004 Apr; 125(2):232-9.Because of its B-cell depleting effect, rituximab has entered clinical trials in several autoimmune conditions. Thisstudy assesses the efficacy and safety of rituximab in 57 adults with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP). All patients had platelet counts < 30 x 10(9)/l, all had received two or more previous ITP treatments and 31had undergone splenectomy. Patients received rituximab 375 mg/m(2) weekly for 4 weeks. Thirty-one patients(54%) responded, achieving a platelet count >50 x 10(9)/l: 18 achieved a complete response (CR: platelet count>150 x 10(9)/l) and 13 a partial response (PR: platelet count 50-150 x 10(9)/l). Twenty-nine responses occurred- 55 -