- Center on Health Equity and Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Low-Dose Rituximab Can Help Control RA Symptoms, Study Finds
A Spanish study has found that low dose of rituximab, administered on-demand rather than at predetermined intervals, provides a good long-term treatment option for some patients.
Low and very low doses of rituximab are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to recent studies. A new study on the real-world use of rituximab in a single center in Spain suggested that a low dose of rituximab, administered on-demand rather than at predetermined intervals, provides a good long-term treatment option for some patients, reported The Center for Biosimilars®.
The retrospective cohort study included adult patients with RA who were treated with rituximab from 2005 to 2014, with a follow-up period through 2015. In total, 114 patients with 409 cycles of treatment were considered.
Rituximab, primarily used as a second-line biologic therapy, was used in a cost-saving and adverse-event reducing on-demand schedule in 94.6% of patients; these patients were assessed for signs of relapse and the need for another rituximab infusion at their regularly scheduled visits, and they also had the option of contacting a healthcare provider by phone if they felt that they were relapsing. The remaining 5.4% of patients were on a fixed 6-month dosing schedule.
Read the full article on The Center for Biosimilars®.
Reference
Cañamares-Orbis I, Merino L, López J, et al. Experience with the use of rituximab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in a tertiary hospital in Spain: RITAR study. [Published online July 19, 2018.] J Clin Rheumatol. doi: 10.1097/RHU.0000000000000845.
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Award-Winning Poster Presentations From AMCP 2024
April 23rd 2024At the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 2024 annual meeting, multiple poster presentations concerned with health equity, data collection, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists, and more were acknowledged for their originality, relevance, clarity, bias, and quality.
Read More
