Clinical Trial Evaluating Rituximab in Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid

Overview

Cicatricial pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering disease which affects the skin, mucous membranes, and, in a small subset of patients, the eye. Progressive ocular disease can lead to irreversible damage and blindness. Conventional treatments include systemic steroids, dapsone, and immunosuppressive agents. These treatments, however, are not successful with all patients. Rituximab has been very effective in the treatment of other autoimmune disorders, and has recently been shown to be effective for autoimmune blistering pemphigus. We propose that it will also be effective in the treatment of cicatricial pemphigoid.

Cicatricial pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering disease which can affect the skin, mucous membranes, and, in a small subset of patients, the eyes. Progressive ocular disease can lead to irreversible damage and blindness. Conventional treatments have included high dose systemic steroids, dapsone, and immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, and mycophenolate mofetil. However, there are a subgroup of patients who fail to respond to these treatments, develop intolerable side effects, or have contraindications to their use. Patients may also develop resistance to these conventional treatment modalities. For these reasons, alternative treatment modalities are needed. Rituximab has been very effective in the treatment of other autoimmune disorders. It has recently been shown to be effective in the treatment of another autoimmune blistering disorder known as pemphigus. We thus propose that Rituximab will be effective in the treatment of cicatricial pemphigoid.

Conditions