Treatment of Primary Sjögren Syndrome With Rituximab: A Randomized Trial

[Bob]

A recently published French clinical trial of Rituximab for Sjögren Syndrome patients.
There was not a significant outcome in this trial when assessed at six months.

Treatment of Primary Sjögren Syndrome With Rituximab:A Randomized Trial
Valérie Devauchelle-Pensec, MD, PhD; Xavier Mariette, MD, PhD; Sandrine Jousse-Joulin, MD; Jean-Marie Berthelot, MD; Aleth Perdriger, MD, PhD; Xavier Puéchal, MD, PhD; Véronique Le Guern, MD, PhD; Jean Sibilia, MD, PhD; Jacques-Eric Gottenberg, MD, PhD; Laurent Chiche, MD, PhD; Eric Hachulla, MD, PhD; Pierre Yves Hatron, MD; Vincent Goeb, MD, PhD; Gilles Hayem, MD; Jacques Morel, MD, PhD; Charles Zarnitsky, MD; Jean Jacques Dubost, MD; Jacques Olivier Pers, MD, PhD; Emmanuel Nowak, PhD; and Alain Saraux, MD, PhD
Ann Intern Med. 2014;160(4):233-242-242.
18 February 2014
http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1829791


Here's a couple of articles that explain the results:
http://www.2minutemedicine.com/rituximab-not-be-beneficial-long-term-in-sjorgens-syndrome/
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/GeneralRheumatology/44363

"The results of this study suggest that rituximab (Rituxin) treatment is not associated with a significant improvement in symptoms or disease activity at 6 months for patients with primary Sjogren syndrome (pSS)."

"There were transient improvements in fatigue symptoms at 6 weeks, but the benefits were no longer significant at 6 months."

 

[user9876]

I'm not sure you would expect an improvement at 6 months given treatment was weeks 0 and 2. Rituximab will wipe out b-cells and hence eventually antibodies but they come back without repeated treatment.

 

[Bob]

I'm not sure you would expect an improvement at 6 months given treatment was weeks 0 and 2. Rituximab will wipe out b-cells and hence eventually antibodies but they come back without repeated treatment.

Good point. I can't remember the time scale that B cells are expected to be replenished.