Drug Database
RI

rituximab (Mabtas / rituximab, Intas)

✓ Approved

Intas Pharmaceuticals · MS4A1 · Monoclonal Antibodies

What is rituximab?

rituximab is a monoclonal antibodies developed by Intas Pharmaceuticals. It is approved for therapeutic indications via injectable (others) or intracerebral/cerebroventricular injection or intravenous (iv) or subcutaneous injection.

Drug Profile

Brand NamesMabtas, rituximab, Intas
CompanyIntas Pharmaceuticals
Drug ClassMonoclonal Antibodies, Antibody
Molecular TargetMS4A1
RouteInjectable (Others), Intracerebral/cerebroventricular Injection, Intravenous (IV), Subcutaneous Injection
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Intas Pharmaceuticals

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

rituximab acts on 1 molecular target:

MS4A1membrane spanning 4-domains A1 (S7, B1)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

rituximab is developed for 8 unique indications across 4 therapeutic areas.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps)B-cell lymphoma✓ Approved
Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps)Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia✓ Approved
Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps)Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma✓ Approved
Neoplasms benign, malignant and unspecified (incl cysts and polyps)Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma✓ Approved
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disordersRheumatoid arthritis✓ Approved

+3 more indications available with a free account

Sign up free to view all indications →

Related Research Articles

PubMedZhonghua er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of pediatrics2026-10-15

[Analysis of sustained efficacy of rituximab in children with new-onset nephrotic syndrome].

Chen L Y LY, Li Q Y QY, Liu F F, Qi G Q GQ et al.

Objective: To evaluate the sustained efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) in children with new-onset idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. A total of 24 children with new-onset INS who received RTX as initial therapy at the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine between February 2022 and April 2024 were enrolled. Pre-treatment clinical data, treatment response, dynamic changes in peripheral blood B cells, relapse, and adverse events were collected. Relapse-free survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Among the 24 children who received RTX, 17 were boys and 7 were girls, with an age at onset of 4.9 (2.9, 8.7) years. Sixteen patients (67%) achieved complete remission (CR) within 4 weeks after RTX treatment, with a time to CR of 18.0 (10.2, 21.2) days. The other 8 cases (33%) did not achieve CR at 6 weeks after RTX treatment (5 with partial remission and 3 without remission), and all subsequently achieved CR after full-dose glucocorticoid therapy. The 16 patients with early CR had a follow-up of 33.6 (27.1, 36.4) months, and 12 maintained drug-free CR at the end of follow-up. Eleven cases (46%) experienced infusion reactions, 12 cases (50%) had infectious events, and 4 cases (17%) developed neutropenia. All adverse events were grade 1-2. Conclusions: RTX monotherapy as initial treatment can induce CR in a subset of children with new-onset INS, and these patients can maintain drug-free remission during follow-up. The drug is generally well tolerated. However, some patients have an insufficient response to RTX and still require glucocorticoid induction.

PMID 42876101
Read full article →
PubMedFrontiers in medicine2026-10-15

Case Report: Acquired hemophilia A presenting with recurrent arthritis-like joint swelling and musculoskeletal hematomas-a focused literature review.

Zhang Jing J, Zhang Lina L, Li Sheng-Guang SG, Li Ji J et al.

Acquired hemophilia A (AHA) usually causes cutaneous, soft-tissue, or muscle bleeding; joint-dominant presentations are uncommon and may be mistaken for septic or inflammatory arthritis. A man in his late 60s with no personal or family bleeding history developed recurrent arthritis-like joint swelling, extensive bruising, and suspected iliopsoas, upper-arm, and thigh hematomas after an elective operation. For approximately 4 months, fever, raised inflammatory markers, and periarticular imaging abnormalities led to repeated infection-directed treatment. At specialist assessment, the activated partial thromboplastin time was 77.6 s. A mixing study showed greater prolongation after incubation, factor VIII activity was below 0.8%, and the factor VIII inhibitor titer exceeded 120 Bethesda units, establishing AHA. Intravenous methylprednisolone followed by a prednisone taper and two rituximab infusions was followed by cessation of new bleeding and improvement in joint symptoms. At approximately 5 months after starting immunosuppression, the inhibitor was undetectable, factor VIII activity had recovered to 27%, and the activated partial thromboplastin time was within the reporting laboratory's reference range. At telephone follow-up approximately 13 months after treatment began, he reported clinical stability for about 6 months after stopping all medications, apart from occasional brief right-knee pain; contemporaneous coagulation results were unavailable. Repeated ceftriaxone exposure was considered a possible associated factor, but causality was not established because an activated partial thromboplastin time of 40 s was documented before the first recorded postoperative exposure and later antibiotic exposures were incompletely documented. In an older adult, recurrent hot or swollen joints accompanied by deep-muscle bleeding and an unexplained prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time should prompt immediate factor VIII activity and inhibitor testing. This case documents inhibitor clearance with partial factor VIII recovery and subsequent patient-reported stability off treatment; it does not prove drug causality or the comparative efficacy of rituximab.

PMID 42876645
Read full article →
PubMedActa neurologica Belgica2026-10-15

Comparative effectiveness and safety of rituximab versus ocrelizumab in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a real-world experience from Iran.

Meshkini Fatemeh F, Moghaddam Nahid Beladi NB, Ghaffari Mehran M, Fallah Elham Asl EA et al.

Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies are regarded as high-efficacy disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Herein, we aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of OCR and RTX in patients with RRMS. Between 2020 and 2025, RRMS patients prescribed OCR or RTX at the Imam Hossein MS Center in Tehran, Iran, were identified. Clinician-reported data were retrospectively extracted from medical records using a standardized data-collection checklist. Treatment allocation was non-random and was influenced by insurance coverage and drug availability. Rituximab was commonly administered using an extended-interval dosing protocol. Comparative analyses used survival methods and regression analyses. A two-sided P value < 0.05 indicated statistical significance. 150 patients (OCR = 90, RTX = 60) were followed for a mean of 42.1 ± 15.1 months (RTX: 46.2 ± 19.1 months; OCR: 39.5 ± 11.0 months; P = 0.12). Baseline demographic and MS-related characteristics were comparable. The annualized relapse rate (ARR) decreased from a pre-treatment mean of 1.23 to 0.70 in the OCR group and 0.76 in the RTX group (mean difference, - 0.06; P = 0.34), with corresponding absolute relapse counts of one in the OCR group and two in the RTX group. Confirmed disability worsening occurred in five patients (1 OCR, 4 RTX; P = 0.16). Among patients with follow-up MRI data (n = 115), new asymptomatic MRI activity was observed in 4.4% of OCR-treated and 5.0% RTX-treated (P = 0.99) patients. Secondary hypogammaglobulinemia (SHG) occurred in 17/90 (18.9%) of OCR-treated and 10/60 (16.7%) of RTX-treated patients, (P = 0.60), which was mainly asymptomatic. Treatment persistence was high in both groups (OCR 98.9%, RTX 93.3%). Over a mean follow-up exceeding three years, no statistically significant differences in relapse, MRI, or disability outcomes were detected between OCR and RTX. Because treatment allocation was non-random and RTX was commonly administered using extended-interval dosing, these findings represent a comparison of real-world treatment strategies, not a causal comparison of the intrinsic effects of RTX versus OCR.

PMID 42875665
Read full article →
PubMedFrontiers in immunology2026-10-15

Anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies: immunopathogenesis, diagnostic innovation, and emerging therapeutic strategies in an adult-onset immunodeficiency.

Tsai Chin-Shiang CS, Cheng Aristine A, Naz Farha F

Adult-onset immunodeficiency with anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies (AIGA) is a rare acquired immunodeficiency increasingly recognized in East and Southeast Asia, characterized by disseminated infections with nontuberculous mycobacteria and other intracellular pathogens. Recent studies have refined our understanding of its immunopathogenesis, including HLA-linked susceptibility, epitope-specific neutralization of IFN-γ, and molecular mimicry, while highlighting persistent gaps in diagnosis and treatment. This Perspective synthesizes emerging evidence into a clinically oriented framework spanning diagnosis, monitoring, and immunomodulatory therapy. We discuss functional confirmation of AIGA, repurposing of the QuantiFERON-TB platform as an accessible screening strategy, and quantitative titers and ¹8F-FDG PET as complementary biomarkers of disease activity and treatment response. We propose a clinical decision pathway in which refractory or progressive infection, rather than a fixed titer threshold, triggers immunomodulation, with rituximab and cyclophosphamide as the best-supported induction strategies, daratumumab reserved for refractory cases, and emerging AIGA-specific evidence supporting azathioprine for maintenance. Recognizing heterogeneous access to specialized testing and biologics across AIGA-endemic regions, we propose a resource-stratified approach integrating widely available markers with referral-based testing and resource-adapted treatment. We also highlight emerging antigen-specific strategies, including chimeric autoantibody receptor T cells engineered to eliminate autoantibody-producing B cells, as a future direction toward durable remission. Finally, we outline priorities for prospective validation and biomarker-guided therapy.

PMID 42876531
Read full article →
PubMedThe American journal of case reports2026-10-15

Primary Intermammary Breast Carcinoma Presenting With Direct Sternal Invasion: A Diagnostic Pitfall of Standard Screening Mammography.

Deming Rachel R, Fei Michael M, Pudhota Harsha Choudary HC, Haerter Sonal P SP et al.

BACKGROUND Standard screening mammogram views focus on the lateral and posterior breast tissues; the view that best visualizes the intermammary area, the 90-degree lateral or cleavage view, is not typically performed. The limited field of view of mammogram increases the importance of additional imaging with CT, ultrasound, and MRI as a tool in diagnosing neoplasm in the intermammary area. To date, intermammary primary breast carcinoma has been reported only a few times in the literature, and none of these described direct sternal invasion at presentation. CASE REPORT An 85-year-old woman with a past medical history of follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with bendamustine-rituximab in 2017 (without chest radiation) and significant family history of breast cancer presented to our clinic 2 months after noticing a hard, non-tender nodule on her sternum. She had undergone a routine screening mammogram 8 months prior, which was unremarkable. Subsequent diagnostic workup including targeted ultrasound, and PET-CT identified a hypermetabolic presternal mass. Notably, diagnostic mammography 8 months after the initial screening mammogram also failed to properly visualize the lesion. Biopsy confirmed ER+/PR+, HER2- adenocarcinoma consistent with breast origin. Despite negative initial staging for distant metastasis, pathological examination after resection revealed direct invasion into the sternum, necessitating partial sternectomy. CONCLUSIONS This case highlights a rare intermammary presentation of breast carcinoma with direct sternal invasion, a feature not previously reported. It emphasizes the blind spot of standard screening mammography in the medial breast/cleavage area and the necessity of targeted imaging for palpable parasternal masses, even in the setting of recent negative screens.

PMID 42876016
Read full article →
PubMedRheumatology (Oxford, England)2026-10-14

Long-term comparative outcomes of rituximab and belimumab in lupus patients.

Sagy Iftach I, Smith Rona M RM, Loudon Kevin W KW, Willcocks Lisa L et al.

Although rituximab and belimumab are recommended for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis, direct long-term comparative evidence is limited. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of rituximab versus belimumab in a real-world setting for treating SLE. This prospective, single-centre, observational cohort study analysed SLE patients who initiated biologics in the BILAG-BR registry at Addenbrooke's Hospital (2011-2025). We compared treatment periods with rituximab and belimumab among patients stable on therapy, without switching or entering clinical trials. The primary outcome was achieving low disease activity (SLEDAI-2K ≤4 and prednisolone ≤ 5 mg/day). Drug survival (time to drug switch or loss to follow-up) was also analysed. Overall, 176 patients were included, contributing 175 rituximab treatment courses in 148 patients and 58 belimumab treatment courses in 58 patients. Median follow-up was 3.4 (2.0-5.0) years for rituximab and 2.0 (1.0-3.4) years for belimumab (p < 0.001). At baseline, belimumab users had higher SLEDAI-2K scores (12.4 ± 4.9 vs 9.5 ± 5.4, p < 0.001).In multivariate analyses, belimumab and rituximab did not differ in achieving low disease activity in either the multivariable Cox model (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.57-1.48) or the propensity score overlap-weighted analysis (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.54-1.37). Drug survival was similar when used as first-line biologic therapy. In contrast, among second-line biologic users, belimumab showed higher drug survival than rituximab(HR 1.34, 95% CI 1.03-1.77). In this observational cohort, belimumab was associated with similar rates of low disease activity as rituximab. Drug survival differed and warrants further study.

PMID 42873589
Read full article →

+9996 more articles available with a free account

Sign up free to view all articles →

Ask about rituximab