Pemphigus vulgaris: rituximab therapy - case series on three patients

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an immunobullous disorder caused by pathogenic autoantibodies against Desmogleins. Many therapies have been designed to reduce autoantibody production. Systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents have greatly improved the prognosis of patients. However these have limitations due to resistant disease states or side effects. Rituximab is a new biologic agent that has been introduced to treat PV. It is a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. It destroys cells of B cell lineage thus inhibiting anti desmoglein antibody production. Three patients with PV were treated with Rituximab once per week for four weeks. All patients showed favorable response with minimal side effects.