Efficacy of flu vaccine reduced in RA patients on rituximab

Arthritis patients being treated with rituximab should be given flu vaccinations immediately before treatment begins or several months later, Dutch rheumatologists advise. The study enrolled three groups of patients: 23 RA patients using rituximab, 20 RA patients taking methotrexate (MTX), and 29 healthy individuals. Patients taking rituximab were split into two groups with 11 who received the influenza vaccine 4-8 weeks after treatment with rituximab and 12 individuals who were given the flu shot 6-10 months post-treatment with the drug. Following vaccination, geometric mean titers (GMTs) of anti-influenza antibodies significantly increased for all influenza strains in the MTX-treated group and in healthy controls, but for no strains in the rituximab-treated group. The researchers recommend that patients being treated with the drug be given the vaccines for seasonal flu and swine flu preemptively before treatment begins. Arthritis and Rheumatism 2010; 62: pp.75-81.  ...