2 grams versus 1 gram rituximab as maintenance schedule in multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders and related diseases: What B-cell repopulation data tell us.

Background: Rituximab (RTX) is largely used as a long-term maintenance therapy in various inflammatory neurological diseases. Reducing the dose of maintenance therapy of RTX from 2 grams every 6 months (traditional regimen) to 1 gram every 6 months (reduced regimen) is a widely applied practice, with the assumption that it decreases the risk of side effects while maintaining efficacy.

Methods: In order to better describe the biological consequences of this strategy, we retrospectively compared, in a single center, the B-cell count after the traditional regimen and after the reduced regimen in patients who underwent both (n = 161).