title: Efficacy and safety of a biosimilar rituximab in biologic naïve patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Biosimilar usage in rheumatology is set to increase over the next few years. This study reports the efficacy and toxicity of a rituximab biosimilar in biologic naïve patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who had inadequately responded to methotrexate. In 21 patients, over a follow-up period of 36 months, it demonstrated prolonged benefit in a majority (10 in remission with disease activity score 28 (DAS28) erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) <2.6 and 9 in low disease activity state with DAS28 ESR between 3.2 and 2.6) and was well tolerated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, National Hospital, Calicut, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Kuttipurath Kandi
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Roshique
authors.forename: Vinod
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ravindran
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012074:Remission Induction; D000069283:Rituximab / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D001688:Biological Products; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals; D000069283:Rituximab; D008727:Methotrexate