A new group of medicines called biologics are being developed by a number of pharmaceutical companies. It is possible that some of these in time may prove themselves to be useful in the treatment of PV, although a lot of studies of tests yet to do to find out if this is the case.

Rituximab (MabThera)

Rituximab is a biologic that is used to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It has been used to treat a number of patients with PV and paraneoplastic pemphigus who did not respond to conventional treatments.

• Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to B cells to destroy them.
• In PV, it is the B cells that produce the autoantibodies that attack the skin cells and cause the blisters.
• Because rituximab attacks these B cells, it is possible that it could help to treat PV.
• It is given intravenously (into a vein through a drip) for several hours a day once a week for 4 weeks.

This is not an easy procedure for patients to undergo; it takes a lot of time and requires a lot of supervision.

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