Rituximab is becoming a popular drug among nephrologists. Starting with lupus in the LUNAR trial. Now the RAVE trial showing it working well with ANCA vasculitis, and its trade of mark in antibody mediated rejection has made it a household name in the nephrology home.
Interesting article in NEJM last month showed the use of Rituximab for Type I DM. It showed decrease in antibody production and patients required less insulin. This is fascinating and its good to see that people are thinking out of the box.
What's next -- Rituximab in Hashimoto's Thyroid disease?
But want everyone to be ware as we use this drug more and more. There are B regulatory cells and we might be doing some small harm slowly and hope we don't see any long term side effects years from now!!! Just as the T regs act as policemen to mediate inflammation, there are B regs as well that might be doing some policing that we might be vanishing away with Rituximab!!!
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