.png | CAS_number = 174722-31-7 | ATC_prefix = L01 | ATC_suffix = XC02 | ATC_supplemental = | PubChem = | DrugBank = BTD00014 | chemical_formula = C₆₄₁₆H₉₈₇₄N₁₆₈₈O₁₉₈₇S₄₄ | molecular_weight = 143859.7 g/mol | bioavailability = | protein_bound = | metabolism = | elimination_half-life = | pregnancy_category = | legal_status = | routes_of_administration = }} Rituximab, sold under the trade names Rituxan® and MabThera®, is a monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, B cell leukemia, and some autoimmune disorders.

History

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Rituximab initially was approved by the FDA in 1997 for lymphoma that was refractory to other chemotherapy regimens. The original approval followed the availability of the McLaughlin et alMcLaughlin P, Grillo-Lopez AJ, Link BK, Levy R, Czuczman MS, Williams ME, Heyman MR, Bence-Bruckler I, White CA, Cabanillas F, Jain V, Ho AD, Lister J, Wey K, Shen D, Dallaire BK. Rituximab chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy for relapsed indolent lymphoma: half of patients respond to a four-dose treatment program. J Clin Oncol 1998;16:2825-33. PMID 9704735. study data. It now is standard therapy in the initial treatment of aggressive lymphomas (e.g. diffuse large B cell lymphoma) in combination with CHOP chemotherapy.

Mechanism

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The antibody binds to the cluster of differentiation 20 (CD20) found on the surface of B cells, flagging them for destruction by the body's own immune system. This eliminates B cells (including the cancerous ones) from the body, allowing a new population of healthy B cells to develop from lymphoid stem cells. The actual mechanisms for Rituximab to eliminate B cells includes the induction of ADCC, CDC, and apoptosis.

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