Carlos A Vieira, Avinash Agarwal, Benita K Book, Richard A Sidner, Christopher M Bearden, Howard M Gebel, Anthony L Roggero, Naomi S Fineberg, Timothy Taber, Michael A Kraus, Mark D Pescovitz
BACKGROUND: Preformed HLA antibodies (Ab), reported as panel-reactive antibody (PRA), prolong patient waiting time for kidney transplantation. We hypothesized that rituximab (RTX) could reduce PRA via B-cell depletion. This initial study reports the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of RTX in patients with end-stage renal failure. METHODS: The study was an investigator-initiated single-dose, dose-escalation phase I trial of RTX in chronic dialysis patients (PRA >50%)...
February 27, 2004: Transplantation