B-cell repopulation occurs more often in African American versus White patients between six and 12 months after anti-CD20 infusion<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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THURSDAY, April 15, 2021 (HealthDay News) — For patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) receiving anti-CD20 treatment, B-cell repopulation occurs in more African American than White patients between six and 12 months after infusion, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, held virtually from April 17 to 22.<\/p>\n
Lucia Saidenberg, from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues retrospectively collected demographics, disease-related information, and anti-CD20 treatment history on patients with MS or NMOSD who had flow cytometry results after infusion of rituximab or ocrelizumab.<\/p>\n
At a median of 6.8 months following anti-CD20 infusion, the researchers found that 29.8 percent of the 168 patients (134 with MS; 32 with NMOSD) had detectable B-cell repopulation, defined as any detectable number of CD19+ cells on flow cytometry. None of the patients had B-cell repopulation less than four months following anti-CD20 infusion; 23 and 61 percent of patients had B-cell repopulation between four and six months and between six and 12 months, respectively, following infusion. African American and White patients showed no differences in the frequency of B-cell repopulation at four to six months following infusion, while at six to 12 months following infusion, the frequency of B-cell repopulation was significantly higher among African Americans versus Whites (76.2 versus 33.3 percent).<\/p>\n
“Our findings raise the question of whether the same therapy dose may be equally effective for all people,” a coauthor said in a statement.<\/p>\n
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