Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Front Page News - UK National Newspaper

LucyKS
LucyKS
I saw this on the news this morning and went out to buy the paper. Has anyone come across this/heard of this drug before?

Link below...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5544327/Drug-hope-for-rheumatoid-arthritis-victims.html

Hugs
Lucy
deleted_user
deleted_user
MabThera is the same as Rituxan, which is the US marketing name. The actual drug is rituximab, manufactured by Genentech.

I take Rituxan.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Doug, how do you find Rituxan? Side effects? Efficiency? Do you take it once every six months like the article suggests? does it clear through the liver?

I am just curious, because although what I am taking works well, I have been on it 4 years, and I understand that in about 5 years most of these meds stop being effective. If this happens I would like to already be ready to go in a new direction. I take daily shots, which my Canadian provincial plan give out in monthly prescriptions. This really limits my ability to travel. It would be nice to take something less frequently, that was effective.

Angie