Intraocular use of rituximab.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the toxicity of 1 mg of intraocular rituximab and to present a small case-series of patients treated with intravitreal rituximab.


METHODS
Rituximab (1 mg/0.1 ml) was injected in the vitreous of one eye of three Dutch-belted rabbits. Two animals were injected with balanced salt solution as controls. At 1 month the rabbits were killed and the eyes examined by light microscopy. Three patients (five eyes) with intraocular lymphoma were also treated with a 1 mg injection of rituximab.


RESULTS
The treated rabbit eyes and the control eyes showed no light microscopic evidence of ocular toxicity at 1 month following injection. The five human eyes of three patients have shown no evidence of intraocular toxicity with a median follow-up time of 3.6 months (range 2.0-6.4 months). One patient received a total of four injections in the right eye and three injections in the left eye.


CONCLUSIONS
Intravitreal rituximab at a dose of 1 mg does not appear to cause toxicity in rabbit eyes and in the five eyes of three patients.
Kitzmann
A S
AS
Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Pulido
J S
JS
Mohney
B G
BG
Baratz
K H
KH
Grube
T
T
Marler
R J
RJ
Donaldson
M J
MJ
O'Neill
B P
BP
Johnston
P B
PB
Johnson
K M
KM
Dixon
L E
LE
Salomao
D R
DR
Cameron
J D
JD
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005123:Eye / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D000069283:Rituximab; D014822:Vitreous Body
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab