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Observational Study
. 2020 May:40:101980.
doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.101980. Epub 2020 Feb 4.

Rituximab in the treatment of multiple sclerosis in the Hospital District of Southwest Finland

Laura Airas  1 , Marjo Nylund  2 , Iina Mannonen  2 , Markus Matilainen  3 , Marcus Sucksdorff  2 , Eero Rissanen  2
Affiliations
Free article
Observational Study

Rituximab in the treatment of multiple sclerosis in the Hospital District of Southwest Finland

Laura Airas et al. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 May.
Free article

Abstract

Background: There are already numerous B-cell depleting monoclonal anti-CD20 antibodies which have been used to reduce the inflammatory burden associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). We describe here our experience of treating MS-patients with B-cell depleting rituximab.

Patients and methods: All MS-patients (n = 72) who had received rituximab treatment for at least six months by January 2019 were identified from the patient charts at the Turku University Hospital. Information about MS disease subtype, disease severity, MR-imaging outcomes and B-cell counts were collected from the charts.

Results: Rituximab was well received and well tolerated by the patients. There were no serious infusion-related side effects. The most serious adverse event that led to treatment discontinuation was neutropenia. After rituximab initiation the annual number of relapses was decreased in the relapsing remitting and secondary progressive MS groups and the mean number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions was decreased in relapsing remitting MS. Our study confirms the usability of rituximab treatment for MS in the Finnish health care environment.

Conclusions: Off-label rituximab-treatment can be successfully used to reduce MS disease burden for the benefit of MS patients.

Keywords: B-lymphocyte; CD20; MS treatment; Multiple sclerosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Marjo Nylund: none. Iina Mannonen: none. Marcus Sucksdorff has received personal research grants from the Finnish MS Foundation and the Finnish Medical Foundation. Eero Rissanen has received speaker honoraria from Teva, Biogen, Roche and Merck, advisory board and consultational fees from Biogen and Merck, and personal research grants from Turku University Hospital's Research Committee of the Expert Responsibility Area and the Finnish MS Foundation. Laura Airas has received honoraria from Biogen, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Genzyme, Merck Serono and Teva, and institutional research grant support from Biogen, Genzyme, Merck Serono and Novartis.

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