Rituximab for treating multiple sclerosis: Off-label but on target

Physicians commonly use drugs off-label. A medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies for one indication may be useful for treating others. An example is rituximab, which is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that targets CD20 on B cells. Rituximab lyses the targeted cells, resulting in prolonged depletion of circulating B cells. It is approved to treat B-cell malignancies, rheumatoid arthritis, Wegener granulomatosis, and microscopic polyarteritis. However, neurologists have successfully used rituximab off-label to treat neuroimmunologic diseases, including neuromyelitis optica, myasthenia gravis, autoimmune encephalitis, and autoimmune neuropathies and myopathies.1
Source: Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Class IV, Multiple sclerosis EDITORIALS Source Type: research