title: Could we use a lower dose of rituximab to treat rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice: pros and cons?
abstract: The CERERRA database provides evidence that low-dose rituximab performs as well as the conventional dose in the real world, thus highlighting the possible pharmacoeconomic impact. In clinical trials, it has been shown that rituximab 500 mg twice, performs as well as 1 g twice, 2 weeks apart, in terms of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)20 and ACR50, but not the ACR70. The choice should always be made after considering that the IMAGE trial has demonstrated similar radiographic progression after the first 6 months, but with less control, with low-dose rituximab in the first 6 months. A possible alternative can be hypothesized.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology, School of Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, CIC-Via Moscati 31, Rome, 00168, Italy. gianfranco.ferraccioli@unicatt.it.|Institute of Rheumatology, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, CIC-Via Moscati 31, Rome, 00168, Italy. gianfranco.ferraccioli@unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferraccioli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology, School of Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, CIC-Via Moscati 31, Rome, 00168, Italy.|Institute of Rheumatology, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, CIC-Via Moscati 31, Rome, 00168, Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tolusso
authors.affiliation: Institute of Rheumatology, School of Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, CIC-Via Moscati 31, Rome, 00168, Italy.|Institute of Rheumatology, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, CIC-Via Moscati 31, Rome, 00168, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gremese
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D000069283:Rituximab / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab
keywords: High dose; Low dose; Peripheral B cell depletion; Rituximab; Synovial tissue B cell depletion