Safety of rituximab in rheumatoid arthritis: A long-term prospective single-center study of gammaglobulin concentrations and infections

ObjectiveRituximab seems well tolerated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, variations in the gammaglobulin profile that might increase the infection risk have been reported. Here, our objective was to evaluate gammaglobulin concentrations and the infection risk in patients receiving rituximab therapy for RA in everyday practice.MethodsProspective single-center observational study of 65 patients with refractory RA (median age, 59 years; range, 26–83) treated with rituximab 1 g twice 15 days apart, with or without a further 1-g dose at least 6 months later depending on the clinical response. Gammaglobulins were assayed before each rituximab dose.ResultsThe median cumulative rituximab dose was 4 g (1–16) and the median time to retreatment was 8 months (6–16). Rituximab therapy significantly improved the DAS-28 score. The gammaglobulin concentration decreased significantly between the first and last rituximab dose (from 11.6 g/L [5–26] to 8.2 g/L [3–20], a −2.6 g/L difference; P < 0.05). The decrease was larger in the 24 patients with cumulative rituximab doses greater than 5 g than in the 41 other patients (difference of −4 vs −2.7 g/L; P < 0.05). Three patients experienced severe infections, two in the high-dose group and one in the other group (P = 0.5).ConclusionThese data obtained in everyday practice constitute further evidence that rituximab is well-tolerated in patients with RA. Rituximab therapy was associated with a decrease in gammaglobulin concentrations that was greater in patients receiving higher cumulative doses.