User:Mr. Ibrahem/Rituximab

Rituximab, sold under the brand name Rituxan among others, is a medication used to treat certain autoimmune diseases and types of cancer. It is used for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, pemphigus vulgaris, myasthenia gravis, and Epstein–Barr virus-positive mucocutaneous ulcers. It is given by slow injection into a vein. Short courses are sometimes repeated after 6 months.

Common side effects may include rash, itchiness, low blood pressure, and shortness of breath. Other severe side effects include reactivation of hepatitis B in those previously infected, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, and toxic epidermal necrolysis. It is unclear if use during pregnancy is safe for the baby. Effective pregnancy prevention is advised during treatment and for a year after. Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody against the protein CD20, which is primarily found on the surface of immune system B cells. When it binds to this protein it triggers cell death.

Rituximab was approved for medical use in 1997. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. The wholesale price in the developing world as of 2014 was US$148–496 per 100 mg. In the United Kingdom it generally costs the NHS around £150 for a vial of 100mg in 2021. In the United States this is about $705 in 2014. The typical treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (1,000 mg IV dose, 2 weeks apart) in the United States would have been $14,000 a month in 2014. The patent expired in 2016 and a number of biosimilars have been launched.