Insufficient disease inhibition by intrathecal rituximab in progressive multiple sclerosis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Inaccessibility of the inflammation compartmentalized to the central nervous system (CNS) may underlie the lack of efficacy of immunomodulatory treatments in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The double blind combination of Rituximab by IntraVenous and IntraThecAl injection versus placebo in patients with Low-Inflammatory SEcondary progressive MS (RIVITALISE; NCT01212094) trial was designed to answer: (1) Whether an induction dose of intravenous and intrathecal rituximab efficiently depletes CNS B cells? and (2) If so, whether this leads to global inhibition of CNS inflammation and slowing of CNS tissue destruction?

Methods

Patients aged 18-65 years were randomly assigned to rituximab or placebo. Protocol-stipulated interim analysis quantified the efficacy of B-

SUBMITTER: Komori M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4774261 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature