Treatment of multiple sclerosis with anti-CD20 antibodies.

The recently successful targeting of B cells in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting CD20 has established that it is no longer a question of whether B cells contribute, but how they contribute, to MS disease activity. Here, the focus will be to review results that have emerged over the last few years from clinical trials of different anti-CD20 mAbs in patients with MS. We will also consider the biological basis underlying the apparent therapeutic efficacy of B cell depletion in MS.