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Rituximab
From WikEM
Contents
Administration
- Type: Antineoplastic/immunosuppressive agent
- Dosage Forms:
- Routes of Administration: IV
- Common Trade Names: Rituxan
Adult Dosing
- 375 mg/m2 IV infusion, frequency varies by indication, but usually once weekly
Pediatric Dosing
Safety/efficacy not established
Special Populations
- Pregnancy Rating: C
- Lactation risk: Infant risk cannot be ruled out
- Renal dosing:
- Hepatic dosing:
Contraindications
- Allergy to class/drug
Adverse Reactions
Serious
- Cytopenias, pancytopenia
- Infectious disease: opportunistic infection, neutropenic fever, sepsis
- Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
- SJS/TEN
- Hypotension
- Supraventricular arrhythmia
- Tumor lysis syndrome, hypophosphatemia
- Gastrointestinal perforation
- Nephrotoxicity
- Lung injury, bronchospasm
- Angioedema
- Infusion reaction
Common
- Nausea, diarrhea
- Pruritus
- Anemia, neutropenia
- Weakness, muscular spasm, shivering
- Headache
- UTI, respiratory infection, fever
- Peripheral edema
Pharmacology
- Half-life: 9-75 days
- Metabolism:
- Excretion:
Mechanism of Action
- Monoclonal antibody, induces B cell apoptosis, preventing antigen presentation, T-cell activation, and proinflammatory cytokine cascade
