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Editorial
. 2021 Jul 15;204(2):123-125.
doi: 10.1164/rccm.202103-0612ED.

A Phase-2 NIH-sponsored Randomized Clinical Trial of Rituximab in Scleroderma-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Did Not Reach Significance for Its Endpoints: End of Story? Not So Fast!

Yongneng Zhang  1 , Evangelos D Michelakis  1
Affiliations
Editorial

A Phase-2 NIH-sponsored Randomized Clinical Trial of Rituximab in Scleroderma-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Did Not Reach Significance for Its Endpoints: End of Story? Not So Fast!

Yongneng Zhang et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. .
No abstract available

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
(A) Data sent to us by the authors show that patients with the proposed biomarker (low levels of RF, IL2, and IL17) have a remarkable improvement in both the 6MWD and PVR at 24 weeks in response to rituximab, whereas patients with the biomarker on placebo had a significant worsening in both the 6MWD and PVR. (B) A hypothetical schematic on how some patients with SSC-PAH can have an increased proportion of activated autoimmune B-cell lineages because of genetic mutations in BMP signaling (or perhaps other pathways) and how these lineages can be depleted by rituximab. 6MWD = 6-minute-walk distance; BMP = bone morphogenetic protein; PVR = pulmonary vascular resistance; RF = rheumatoid factor; SSC-PAH = scleroderma-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

References

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