Safety of infusing rituximab at a more rapid rate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the RATE-RA study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

As recommended in the current prescribing information, rituximab infusions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) take 4.25 hours for the first infusion and 3.25 hours for subsequent infusions, which is a burden on patients and the health care system. We therefore evaluated the safety of infusing rituximab at a faster rate for an infusion period of 2 hours in patients with RA.

Methods

Patients with an inadequate response to anti-TNF who were rituximab-naive or -experienced received 2 courses of rituximab: Infusion 1 (Day 1) was administered over the standard 4.25 hours, and Infusions 2 (Day 15), 3 (Day 168) and 4 (Day 182) were administered over a faster 2-hour period. The primary endpoint was incidence of infusion-related reactions (IRRs) associated with Infu

SUBMITTER: Pritchard CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4035685 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature