Rituximab-based novel strategies for the treatment of immune-mediated glomerular diseases.

Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody to the CD20 antigen on B-cells that was initially designed and approved for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma in 1997. In the last 15 years, it has emerged as a potent immunosuppressant for many immune-mediated diseases, beginning initially with rheumatoid arthritis, and now extending into several other fields, including clinical nephrology. Based on recent large clinical trials, it is FDA-approved for the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis and continues to be studied in off-label usage for many glomerular diseases, including membranous nephropathy, lupus nephritis, and mixed cryoglobulinemia. It has been used as a treatment in nephrotic syndrome in children and adults; including both minimal change disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Given its efficacy, tolerability and safety profile in comparison to more conventional treatment regimens, RTX is rapidly emerging as a critical treatment modality in glomerular disease.