Safety information
MabThera has more than 10 years of clinical experience and more than 1,000,000 patients have been treated to date. The majority of patients experience mild to moderate infusion-related reactions (IRRs) during the first administration of rituximab, but the incidence decreases markedly with subsequent infusions. Rituximab induces a rapid depletion of normal CD20-expressing B-cells in the peripheral blood, and levels remain low or undetectable for 2-6 months before returning to pretreatment levels, generally within 12 months. T-cells are unaffected by rituximab and consequently opportunistic infections rarely occur in association with rituximab therapy. When used in combination with a variety of chemotherapeutic regimens, rituximab does not add to the toxicity of chemotherapy, with the exception of a higher rate of neutropenia, although this does not translate into a higher infection rate. For the great majority of patients, rituximab is safe and well tolerated.
