Rituximab

Details of the Drug
Generic Name:
Rituximab
Pronunciation:
rih-TUK-si-mab
Drug Type:
Monoclonal antibody
How the Drug is Given:

Intravenously (IV)

Names:
Rituxan®
Rituximab
Truxima® *
Rituximab-abbs*
Ruxience™ *
Rituximab-pvvr*
Riabni
Rituximab-arrx*

Indications and Usage

is FDA approved for the treatment of:

  • Adult patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)
    • Relapsed or refractory, low grade or follicular, CD20-positive Bcell NHL as a single agent.
    • Previously untreated follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell NHL in combination with first line chemotherapy and, in patients achieving a complete or partial response to RITUXAN in combination with chemotherapy, as single-agent maintenance therapy.
    • Non-progressing (including stable disease), low-grade, CD20- positive, B-cell NHL as a single agent after first-line cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (CVP) chemotherapy.
    • Previously untreated diffuse large B-cell, CD20-positive NHL in combination with (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) (CHOP) or other anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens. 
  • Pediatric patients aged 6 months and older with mature B-cell NHL and mature B-cell acute leukemia (B-AL) 
    • Previously untreated, advanced stage, CD20-positive, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Burkitt lymphoma (BL), Burkitt-like lymphoma (BLL) or mature B-cell acute leukemia (B-AL) in combination with chemotherapy.
  • Adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
    • Previously untreated and previously treated CD20-positive CLL in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC).

Side effects needing medical attention

Fever; chills; difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; sensation of tongue or throat swelling; hives; itching; weakness; headache; nausea; vomiting; flushing; palpitations; chest pain; rash; dizziness; coughing; unusual tiredness or fatigue; unusual bruising or bleeding; muscle or joint pain; abdominal pain; diarrhea.

In patients with prior hepatitis B (HBV) infection, HBV reactivation may occur when the body's immune system is impaired.


*A biosimilar is a biological product that is highly similar to and has no clinically meaningful differences from an existing FDA-approved reference product. Click here for more information. The biosimilar may not be FDA approved for pediatric indications. 

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