December 29, 2022
1 minute read
Multiple sclerosis patients being treated with rituximab are strongly recommended to wait at least 6 months after the last rituximab infusion before receiving the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and booster dose, researchers say. has reported. JAMA network opened.
“Treatment with rituximab or other B-cell depleting therapies is associated with increased risk of more severe COVID-19, including death in unvaccinated MS patients,” Jessica B. Smith, MPH, Written by PhDs, Division of Research and Evaluation, Southern California Permanente Medical Group.
Smith et al. investigated whether rituximab treatment is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 in individuals vaccinated for multiple sclerosis, and whether delaying vaccination beyond 6 months after rituximab treatment increases the risk. I tried to find out if it was related to the decline.
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California electronic health record database to identify individuals with MS who were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2.
Of 3,974 vaccinated MS patients (mean age 55.3 years, 75% female), rituximab-treated patients (n = 1,516) were DMT-naive or receiving other DMTs2,458 were more likely to be hospitalized but not die compared to 100 MS patients. (Adjusted OR = 7.33; 95% CI, 3.05-17.63).
According to the authors, mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (aOR = 0.36; 95% CI, 0.15-0.9) and booster vaccination (aOR = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15-0.64) were independently associated with Was. Reduced risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19.
Among MS patients treated with rituximab, vaccination more than 6 months after the last rituximab infusion reduced the risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 (aOR = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.1-0.49).
“Rituximab biosimilars have significant affordability, efficacy, and convenience advantages over other DMTs, especially in areas of multiple sclerosis, including in the United States, where access to specialty care is poor and drug prices are affordable. prominent in the country,” write Smith and colleagues. “The lower risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 in mRNA-vaccinated MS patients receiving rituximab should not preclude the use of rituximab. Expanding access to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for individuals on rituximab therapy should be a priority.”
