Caporali Roberto, Caprioli Marta, Bobbio-Pallavicini Francesca, Bugatti Serena, Montecucco Carlomaurizio
Rheumatology Dept, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Autoimmun Rev. 2009 Jun;8(7):591-4. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2009.02.008. Epub 2009 Feb 11.
B cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that depletes B-cells by binding to the CD20 surface antigen that has been approved for the treatment of RA. Its efficacy has been clearly demonstrated by different clinical trials and, recently, in long-term observational studies. The use of rituximab in clinical practice has highlighted its efficacy and safety over more than 5 years of treatment, as well as to try to understand the timing for retreatment of patients relapsing after a good initial response.
B细胞在类风湿性关节炎（RA）的发病机制中起重要作用。利妥昔单抗是一种嵌合单克隆抗体，通过与已被批准用于治疗RA的CD20表面抗原结合来清除B细胞。不同的临床试验以及最近的长期观察研究已清楚证明了其疗效。在临床实践中使用利妥昔单抗超过5年的治疗突出了其疗效和安全性，同时也试图了解初始反应良好后复发患者的再次治疗时机。
