A new study has revealed that rituximab, a drug used to treat lymphoma, is now being used by dermatologists to treat various dangerous skin diseases.
The drug rituximab, which was originally developed as the standard therapy in treating aggressive lymphomas, is showing increased non-cancer use.
Researchers reviewed the off-label uses of rituximab in dermatology and found that it successfully treated patients with various kinds of blistering skin disease, including pemphigus vulgaris, dermatomyositis, and paraneoplastic pemphigus.
Newer, safer treatments for serious dermatologic disorders are being studied, and rituximabs efficacy has been shown in a variety of dangerous skin problems.
As case reports and randomised trials explore the utility of rituximab, the indications for rituximab will continue to be defined, the authors said.