B-cell inhibitors as therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: An update

Gordon DA, Hastings DE: Clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis. In Rheumatology, 3rd edn. Edited by Hochberg MC, Silman AJ, Smolen JS, et al. Philadelphia: Mosby; 2004:765–780.

Silman AJ, Hochberg MC: Epidemiology of the Rheumatic Diseases, 2nd edn. Edited by Silman AJ, Hochberg MC, Cooper C, et al.: Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2001:31–71.

Wagner UG, Kurtin PJ, Wahner A, et al.: The role of CD8+ and CD40L+ T cells in the formation of germinal centers in rheumatoid synovitis. J Immunol 1998, 161:6390–6397.

Silverman GJ, Carson DA: Roles of B cells in rheumatoid arthritis. Arch Res Ther 2003, 5(Suppl 4):S1–S6.

Shaw T, Quan J, Totoritis MC: B cell therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: the rituximab (anti-CD20) experience. Ann Rheum Dis 2003, 62(Suppl II):ii55–59.

Tan SM, Xu D, Roschke V, et al.: Local production of B lymphocyte stimulator protein and APRIL in arthritic joints of patients with inflammatory arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2003, 48:982–992.

Pasare C, Medzhitov R: Control of B-cell responses by Toll-like receptors. Nature 2005, 438:364–368.

Rifkin IR, Leadbetter EA, Busconi L, et al.: Toll-like receptors, endogenous ligands, and systemic autoimmune disease. Immunol Rev 2005, 204:27–42.

Riley JK, Sliwkowski MX: CD20: A Gene in Search of a function. Semin Oncol 2000, 27(6 Suppl 12):17–24.

Bubien JK, Zhou LJ, Bell PD, et al.: Transfection of the CD20 cell surface molecule into ectopic cell types generates a Ca2+ conductance found constitutively in B lymphocytes. J Cell Biol 1993, 121:1121–1132.

O’Keefe TL, Williams GT, Davies SL, et al.: Mice carrying a CD20 gene disruption. Immunogenetics 1998, 48:125–132.

Grillo-Lopez AJ: Rituximab: an insider’s historical prospective. Semin Oncol 2000, 27(6 Suppl 12):9–12.

Maloney DG: Preclinical and phase I and II trials of rituximab. Semin Oncol 1999, 26(5 Suppl 14):74–78.

Dorner T, Burmester GR: The role of B cells in rheumatoid arthritis: mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Curr Opinion Rheum 2003, 15:246–252.

Browning JL: B cells move to centre stage: novel opportunities for autoimmune disease treatment. Nature Reviews 2006, 5:564–576.

Edwards JC, Szczepanski L, Szechinski J, et al.: Efficacy of B-cell-targeted therapy with rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. N Engl J Med 2004, 350:2572–2581.

Emery P, Fleischmann R, Filipowicz-Sosnowska A, et al.: The efficacy and safety of rituximab in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite methotrexate treatment (DANCER study). Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54:1390–1400.

Cohen SB, Emery P, Greenwald MW, et al.: Rituximab for rheumatoid arthritis refractory to anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy: results of a multicenter randomized double-blind placebo-controlled, phase III trial evaluating primary efficacy and safety at twenty-four weeks. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 53:2793–2806.

Roll P, Palanichamy A, Kneitz C, et al.: Regeneration of B cell subsets after transient B cell depletion using anti-CD20 antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54:2377–2386.

Leandro MJ, Cambridge G, Ehrenstein MR, Edwards JC: Reconstitution of peripheral blood B Cells after depletion with rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54:613–620.

Leandro MJ, Cooper N, Cambridge G, et al.: Bone marrow B-lineage cells in patients with rheumatoid arthritis following rituximab therapy. Rheumatology 2007, 46:29–36.

Rouziere A, Kneitz C, Palanichamy A, et al.: Regeneration of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain repertoire after transient B-cell depletion with an anti-CD20 antibody. Arthritis Res Ther 2005, 7:R714–724.

Vos K, Thurlings RM, Rogier M, et al.: Early effects of rituximab on the synovial cell infiltrate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2007, 56:772–778.

Lavie F, Miceli-Richard C, Ittah M, et al.: Increase of B cell-activating factor of the TNF family (BAFF) after rituximab treatment: insights into a new regulating system of BAFF production. Ann Rheum Dis 2007, 66:700–703.

Vallerskog T, Heimburger M, Gunnarsson I, et al.: Differential effects on BAFF and APRIL levels in rituximab-treated patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther 2006, 8:R167.

Cambridge G, Stohl W, Leandro MJ, et al.: Circulating levels of B lymphocyte simulator in patients with rheumatoid arthritis following rituximab treatment: relationships with B cell depletion, circulating antibodies, and clinical response. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54:723–732.

Genovese MC, Kaine JL, Kohen MD, et al.: Safety and clinical activity of ocrelizumab (a humanized antibody targeting CD20+ B cells) in combination with methotrexate (MTX) in moderate-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (pts) (Phase I/II ACTION study) [abstract 6]. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54(9 Suppl):S66.

Manning WC, Natarajan R, Rao T, et al.: Serum BAFF levels correlate with B cell depletion in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with ocrelizumab [abstract 7]. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54(9 Suppl):S67.

Ostergaard M, Wiell C, Sierakowski S, et al.: HuMax-CD20, a novel fully human monoclonal IgG1 antibody in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis [abstract 2122]. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54(9 Suppl):S230.

Burge DJ, Shu C, Martin RW, et al.: TRU-15, a small modular immunopharmaceutical (SMIP) drug candidate directed against CD20, demonstrates clinical improvement in subjects with rheumatoid arthritis [abstract 463]. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54(9 Suppl):S230.

McKay J, Chwalinska-Sadowska H, Boling E, et al.: Belimumab (BmAb), a fully human monoclonal antibody to B-lymphocyte stimulator (BlyS), combined with standard of care therapy reduces the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in a heterogeneous subject population. Arthritis Rheum 2005, 52:S710–711.

Stohl W, Chatham W, Weisman M, et al.: Belimumab (BmAb), a novel fully human monoclonal antibody to B-lymphocyte stimulator (BlyS), selectively modulates B-cell sub-populations and immunoglobulins in a heterogeneous rheumatoid arthritis subject population. Arthritis Rheum 2005, 52:S444.

Tak PP, Thurlings RM, Dimic A, et al.: A phase IIb study to investigate atacicpet (TACI-Ig) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis [abstract]. Presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting. Washington, DC; November 10–15, 2006.

Fleischman R, Wei N, Shaw M, et al.: BR3-Fc Phase I study: safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamic (PD) effects of a novel BR3-Fc fusion protein in patients with rheumatoid arthritis [abstract 461]. Arthritis Rheum 2006, 54(9 Suppl):S229.