Single-dose rituximab in refractory lupus nephritis

Biological therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, and Sjögren's syndrome: evidence- and practice-based guidance

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and Sjögren's syndrome (SS) are heterogeneous autoimmune diseases. Severe manifestations and refractory/intolerance to conventional immunosuppressants demand other options, namely biological drugs, and small molecules. We aimed to define evidence and practice-based guidance for the off-label use of biologics in SLE, APS, and SS. Recommendations were made by an independent expert panel, following a comprehensive literature review and two consensus rounds. The panel included 17 internal medicine experts with recognized practice in autoimmune disease management. The literature review was systematic from 2014 until 2019 and later updated by cross-reference checking and experts' input until 2021. Preliminary recommendations were drafted by working groups for each disease. A revision meeting with all experts anticipated the consensus meeting held in June 2021. All experts voted (agree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree) during two rounds, and recommendations with at least 75% agreement were approved. A total of 32 final recommendations (20 for SLE treatment, 5 for APS, and 7 for SS) were approved by the experts. These recommendations consider organ involvement, manifestations, severity, and response to previous treatments. In these three autoimmune diseases, most recommendations refer to rituximab, which aligns with the higher number of studies and clinical experience with this biological agent. Belimumab sequential treatment after rituximab may also be used in severe cases of SLE and SS. Second-line therapy with baricitinib, bortezomib, eculizumab, secukinumab, or tocilizumab can be considered in SLE-specific manifestations. These evidence and practice-based recommendations may support treatment decision and, ultimately, improve the outcome of patients living with SLE, APS, or SS.

Rituximab Dosing in Glomerular Diseases: A Scoping Review

Purpose of Review

Rituximab is increasingly prescribed for glomerular diseases. However, the recently published Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2021 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Glomerular Diseases lacks details on recommended dosing regimens for most individual glomerular diseases. We performed this scoping review summarizing the evidence for rituximab dosing in glomerular disease.

Sources of Information

PubMed database.

Methods

The PubMed search methodology was developed with a medical librarian and performed by the first, with review by a second, author. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies (PCSs) examining rituximab efficacy and/or safety in antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), membranous nephropathy (MN), lupus nephritis (LN), or podocytopathies (minimal change disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis [FSGS]) were included. Fifty-three studies (14 RCTs and 39 PCSs) were included.

Key Findings

We identified 16 different rituximab dosing regimens studied as induction therapy for one or more of the 5 glomerular diseases of interest. The most frequently studied rituximab induction regimens were 1000 mg as 2 doses 2 weeks apart (17 studies, 32%) and 4 doses of 375 mg/m²/week (18 studies, 33.9%). Twenty-six studies (49%) examined rituximab as monotherapy or in conjunction with corticosteroids alone, while the remaining studies examined rituximab as part of combination immunosuppression. Adapting treatment to achieve B-cell depletion, with frequent evaluation of disease-specific biomarkers, might prove the optimal approach to achieving and maintaining remission. Rituximab might also enable steroid minimization or avoidance.

Limitations

Restriction of the search to a single database and to studies published in the English language, and with an accompanying abstract, could have led to selection bias. While the search was limited to prospective observational studies and RCTs, no formal assessment of study quality was performed.

Alternative CAR Therapies: Recent Approaches in Engineering Chimeric Antigen Receptor Immune Cells to Combat Cancer

For nearly three decades, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have captivated the interest of researchers seeking to find novel immunotherapies to treat cancer. CARs were first designed to work with T cells, and the first CAR T cell therapy was approved to treat B cell lymphoma in 2017. Recent advancements in CAR technology have led to the development of modified CARs, including multi-specific CARs and logic gated CARs. Other immune cell types, including natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages, have also been engineered to express CARs to treat cancer. Additionally, CAR technology has been adapted in novel approaches to treating autoimmune disease and other conditions and diseases. In this article, we review these recent advancements in alternative CAR therapies and design, as well as their mechanisms of action, challenges in application, and potential future directions.

Initial Preserved Renal Function as a Predictor of Favorable Renal Response to Rituximab in Refractory or Relapsing Lupus Nephritis: A Single-center Cohort Study in Korea

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies investigating the beneficial effect of rituximab on lupus nephritis (LN) reported controversial results There have been few reports of renal response to rituximab according to renal function We investigated the efficacy of rituximab in refractory/relapsing LN and the role of renal function as a predictor of renal response.

METHODS

From 2016 to 2019, we retrospectively reviewed 22 patients with refractory/relapsing LN receiving rituximab Renal responses (complete and partial) at 6 and 12 months were compared between normal (glomerular filtration rate [GFR]≥90 mL/min/173 m², n=11) and decreased (GFR<90 mL/min/173 m², n=11) GFR groups Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to assess predictors of renal response.

RESULTS

At baseline, the decreased GFR group had a higher urine proteinuria to creatinine ratio (p=0008) and proportion of refractory LN (p=0010) and previous cyclophosphamide therapy (p=0035) than the normal GFR group The overall renal response rate was 455% (10 patients) at 6 months and 545% (12 patients) at 12 months Renal response rates were higher in the normal GFR group (818% and 909% at 6 and 12 months, respectively) than in the decreased GFR group (91% and 182% at 6 and 12 months, respectively; p<0001) Normal GFR and anti-La were associated with renal response to rituximab, with hazard ratios of 9256 (p=0008) and 5478 (p=0041), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Rituximab is an effective therapy for refractory/relapsing LN, particularly in patients with preserved renal function.

Efficacy and safety of an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, rituximab, for lupus nephritis: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) for lupus nephritis are still a controversial issue.

METHODS

We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases for all clinical controlled studies.

RESULTS

Six studies with 588 patients were included in our meta-analysis. RTX increased total renal remission rates (TR, odds ratio [OR] 2.16, 95% CI 1.31 to 3.55, P = .003) and complete renal remission rate (CR, OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.18 to 4.94, P = .02) compared with the control group. Subgroup analyses showed that rituximab was more effective at increasing the rate of TR and CR for lupus nephritis patients compared with mycophenolate mofetil (TR, OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.29 to 16.47, P = .02; CR, OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.19 to 5.47, P = .02) and cyclophosphamide (TR, OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.31 to 6.40, P = .009; CR, OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.19 to 6.4, P = .02). Rituximab also had advantage in reducing Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index score (-2.49, 95% CI -3.77 to -1.22, P = .0001). There were no significant differences between the RTX group and control group on the change of proteinuria (-0.36 g/d, 95% CI -0.71 to -0.00 g/d, P = .05) and serum creatinine (0.13 mg/dL, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.42 mg/dL, P = .36). RTX treatment did not increase the risk of adverse events compared to the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides clear beneficial effects of RTX in patients with lupus nephritis. In addition, RTX therapy did not increase the risk of adverse events compared to the control group.

Identifying Safety Thresholds for Immunosuppressive Drugs: Applying Insights from Primary Antibody Deficiencies to Mitigate Adverse Events in Secondary Antibody Deficiencies Using Mathematical Modeling of Preclinical and Early Clinical Data

Immunosuppressive drugs can alleviate debilitating symptoms of autoimmune diseases, but, by the same token, excessive immune suppression can result in an increased risk of infection. Despite the dangers of a compromised immune system, clear definitions of what constitutes excessive suppression remain elusive. Here we review the most common infections associated with primary antibody deficiencies (PADs), such as agammaglobulinemia, common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), and IgA deficiency, as well as infections that are associated with drug-induced or secondary antibody immunodeficiencies (SADs). We identify a number of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections (e.g., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus sp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, influenza, varicella zoster virus, and herpes simplex virus) associated with both PADs and SADs, and suggest that diagnostic criteria for PADs could be used as a first-line measure to identify potentially unsafe levels of immune suppression in SADs. Specifically, we suggest that, based on PAD diagnostic criteria, IgG levels should remain above 2-3 g/L, IgA levels should not fall below 0.07 g/L, and IgM levels should remain above 0.4 g/L to prevent immunosuppressive drugs from inducing mimicking PAD-like effects. We suggest that these criteria could be used in the early stages of drug development, and that pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling could help guide patient selection to potentially improve drug safety. We illustrate the proposed approach using atacicept as an example and conclude with a discussion of the applicability of this approach for other drugs that may induce excessive immune suppression.

Management of lupus nephritis: a systematic literature review informing the 2019 update of the joint EULAR and European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (EULAR/ERA-EDTA) recommendations

Objectives

To analyse the current evidence for the management of lupus nephritis (LN) informing the 2019 update of the EULAR/European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association recommendations.

Methods

According to the EULAR standardised operating procedures, a PubMed systematic literature review was performed, from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018. Since this was an update of the 2012 recommendations, the final level of evidence (LoE) and grading of recommendations considered the total body of evidence, including literature prior to 2012.

Results

We identified 387 relevant articles. High-quality randomised evidence supports the use of immunosuppressive treatment for class III and class IV LN (LoE 1a), and moderate-level evidence supports the use of immunosuppressive treatment for pure class V LN with nephrotic-range proteinuria (LoE 2b). Treatment should aim for at least 25% reduction in proteinuria at 3 months, 50% at 6 months and complete renal response (<500–700 mg/day) at 12 months (LoE 2a-2b). High-quality evidence supports the use of mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid (MMF/MPA) or low-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide (CY) as initial treatment of active class III/IV LN (LoE 1a). Combination of tacrolimus with MMF/MPA and high-dose CY are alternatives in specific circumstances (LoE 1a). There is low-quality level evidence to guide optimal duration of immunosuppression in LN (LoE 3). In end-stage kidney disease, all methods of kidney replacement treatment can be used, with transplantation having the most favourable outcomes (LoE 2b).

Conclusions

There is high-quality evidence to guide the initial and subsequent phases of class III/IV LN treatment, but low-to-moderate quality evidence to guide treatment of class V LN, monitoring and optimal duration of immunosuppression.

Rituximab use as induction therapy for lupus nephritis: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Rituximab (RTX) has important usage in rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis. There remains a need for more, better, and safer treatments for patients with lupus nephritis (LN). RTX has been trialed in such patients without definitive conclusions about its effectiveness. As a role for RTX has not been clearly established for LN, we carried out a systematic review and analysis.

METHODS

We identified 31 studies of RTX for class I-VI LN, and assessed complete renal response (CRR) and partial renal response (PRR) using criteria including serum creatinine, proteinuria, and urinary sediment. Due to differences in the pediatric presentation of the disease, studies focusing on pediatric patients were excluded.

RESULTS

One randomized controlled trial (RCT) showed superiority of RTX+cyclophosphamide (CYC) versus CYC alone (64% vs. 21% CRR and 19% vs. 36% PRR). Six prospective and retrospective studies utilizing RTX monotherapy found 66% CRR or PRR in all patients. Eleven studies that investigated RTX in combination with CYC or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) also found 66% CRR or PRR in all patients. In total, the CRR for Caucasian, East Asian, and Hispanic patients were 77%, 38%, and 28%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

RTX appeared to benefit certain LN patients, but most studies were not randomized or properly controlled, were heterogeneous in design, subjects, and LN types, and were not comparable, and must therefore be interpreted cautiously. RTX alone may not deplete B cells sufficiently for the perturbations of LN. In addition, RTX may induce responses differently among patients of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Furthermore, there were wide variations in the baseline characteristics of the patients, namely LN class, time course of disease, age, and prior immunosuppressive use. We suggest a prospective RCT in patients aged 18-65 years with class IV LN. Ideally, the patients would not have received prior immunosuppression and would better represent different ethnicities. The treatment groups would be RTX, RTX+belimumab, CYC, and MMF groups, with pulse-dose steroids during induction followed by maintenance steroids and MMF. The CRR and PRR would be assessed at 12 and 24 months. This or a similar study might clarify RTX's role in the treatment of LN.

Transcriptomic and Epigenetic Alterations in Dendritic Cells Correspond With Chronic Kidney Disease in Lupus Nephritis

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a serious autoimmune disease with variety of organ manifestations. The most dreadful one, affecting the majority of SLE patients, is kidney manifestation-lupus nephritis (LN). Dendritic cells (DC) are believed to be one of the culprits of immune dysregulation in LN. Flow cytometry analysis was applied to identify the frequency and activity of peripheral blood DCs subpopulations: myeloid and plasmacytoid, in LN patients. Magnetically isolated mDCs and pDCs were subjected to molecular analysis of genes expression, evaluation of global DNA methylation and histone H3 methylation. We observed distinctive features of DCs associated with the stages of nephritis in LN patients. Lower numbers of pDCs were observed in patients with severe LN, while increased co-stimulatory potential of mDCs was connected with the early, mild stage of this disease. IRF1 transcript upregulation was specific for mDCs from total LN patients, while exceptional amount of IRF1 mRNA was detected in mDCs from severe LN patients. DCs DNA hypermethylation seemed characteristic for severe LN, whereas a decrease in H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 marks was significant for the early stages of LN. These findings present dendritic cell alterations that may reflect renal involvement in SLE, laying foundations for new strategy of diagnosis and monitoring of LN patients, omitting invasive kidney biopsies.

Clinical efficacy and safety of rituximab in lupus nephritis

BACKGROUND

Long-term treatment programs with low toxicity represent a therapeutic challenge in lupus nephritis (LN). Although a therapeutic benefit of rituximab (RTX) has been reported in LN patients who have failed conventional treatment, the results are controversial. We aimed to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of RTX as a new immunosuppressive medicine in the treatment of LN with a meta-analysis.

METHODS

Based on predetermined criteria, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were used to identify the eligible studies. Cochrane Review Manager version 5.3 was applied to pool the data extracted from individual investigations and provide summary effect estimates.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies with 940 patients were analyzed. In case series trials with specific LN assessment, the complete remission (CR) rate at 12 months was 35.9% (95% CI: 24.2%-49.5%), and total remission (TR: CR plus partial remission) was 73.4% (95% CI: 66.0%-79.7%). In controlled trials, RTX was associated with a higher probability of TR (OR =2.02, 95% CI: 1.23-3.32, P<0.01). The CR in the RTX group was higher than that in the control group, although there was no significant difference between the two groups (OR =1.98, 95% CI: 0.90-4.39, P>0.05). Additionally, RTX treatment significantly decreased proteinuria (mean difference: -2.79, 95% CI: -3.95 to -1.62, P<0.01) as well as the renal activity index in patients with LN (mean difference: -3.46, 95% CI: -4.43 to -2.50, P<0.01). In controlled trials, the relative risks of the adverse events of infection and infusion reaction were not notably different between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

RTX is a promising therapy for the treatment of LN due to significant clinical efficacy and a favorable safety profile. In future studies, larger study populations and longer-term time points may identify additional important patient-centered outcomes.

Current perspective on rituximab in rheumatic diseases

The steadily increasing knowledge regarding pathogenetic mechanisms in autoimmune rheumatic diseases has paved the way to different therapeutic approaches. In particular, the market entry of biologics has dramatically modified the natural history of rheumatic chronic inflammatory diseases with a meaningful impact on patients’ quality of life. Among the wide spectrum of available biological treatments, rituximab (RTX), first used in the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was later approved for rheumatoid arthritis and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis. Nowadays, in rheumatology, RTX is also used with off-label indications in patients with systemic sclerosis, Sjögren’s syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus. RTX is a monoclonal antibody directed to CD20 molecules expressed on the surfaces of pre-B and mature B lymphocytes. It acts by causing apoptosis of these cells with antibody- and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. As inflammatory responses to cell-associated immune complexes are key elements in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune rheumatic diseases, such an approach might be effective in these patients. In fact, RTX, by promoting the rapid and long-term depletion of circulating and lymphoid tissue-associated B cells, leads to a lower recruitment of these effector cells at sites of immune complex deposition, thus reducing inflammation and tissue damage. RTX is of the most interest to rheumatologists as it represents an important additional therapeutic approach. Thus, the advent in clinical practice of approved RTX biosimilars, such as CT-P10, may be of help in improving treatment access as well as in reducing costs.

Recurrent podocytopathy in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

Podocytopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus is characterised by diffuse foot process effacement without significant peripheral capillary wall immune deposits as seen on electron microscopy. Lupus podocytopathy falls outside the scope of the current International Society of Nephrology and the Renal Pathology Society classification of lupus nephritis. We present a case of relapsing podocytopathy with nephrotic syndrome occurring simultaneously with two extra-renal and serological disease flares, which makes it likely that podocytopathy was related to systemic lupus erythematosus activity. This case adds to the growing body of evidence that lupus podocytopathy must be considered in the differential diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus patients presenting with nephrotic syndrome.