Generic Name: rituxumab
Other Market Name: Truxima, Ruxience, Riabni
Drug Class: Targeted Therapy Medications
Company: Genentech
Approval Status: Approved
Generic Version Available: Yes
Drug Indication
Rituxan is a monoclonal antibody approved for follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and used for the similar blood cancer small lymphocytic lymphoma, alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Truxima and Ruxience are biosimilar medications.
General Info
Rituxan is an antibody that binds to the CD20 receptor on B cells that grow out of control in people with leukemia and lymphoma. This helps immune cells recognize and attack the cancer.
Clinical trials showed that adding Rituxan to chemotherapy slows disease progression and in may improve survival in people with various types of lymphoma. It is also being tested for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Dosage
Dosing Info:
Rituxan is administered as an intravenous infusion, with varying doses and schedules depending on the specific indication.
Side Effects
Common side effects include infusion reactions, fever and chills. It can cause depletion of white blood cells (neutropenia), which can lead to infections. Less common but potentially serious side effects include bowel obstruction, liver toxicity and tumor lysis syndrome, or metabolic abnormalities that can occur when many cancer cells are killed at once.
For More Info: http://www.rituxan.com/
Co-Pay Program Info: http://www.rituxan.com/hem/patient/rituxan-patient-assistance
Patient Assistance Program Info: http://www.rituxan.com/hem/patient/rituxan-patient-assistance
Last Reviewed: December 20, 2020
