MedPage Today (8/6, Walsh) reported, "rituximab (Rituxan) appears to be both effective and safe for patients with refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)," according to a study published in the August issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. In a study of 136 SLE patients, researchers saw an "overall clinical response...in 71%." But, an editorial accompanying the study "cautioned that 'it cannot be assumed that treatments such as rituximab, which have failed to meet their primary endpoints in placebo-controlled trials, are effective.' However, they noted the difficulty of abandoning treatments with anecdotal and observational trial efficacy as well as biologically plausible mechanisms of action."
