@article {Landon-Cardinal623, author = {Oc{\'e}ane Landon-Cardinal and Yves Allenbach and Antoine Soulages and Aude Rigolet and Baptiste Hervier and Nicolas Champtiaux and Quentin Monzani and Guilhem Sol{\'e} and Olivier Benveniste}, title = {Rituximab in the Treatment of Refractory Anti-HMGCR Immune-mediated Necrotizing Myopathy}, volume = {46}, number = {6}, pages = {623--627}, year = {2019}, doi = {10.3899/jrheum.171495}, publisher = {The Journal of Rheumatology}, abstract = {Objective. A pathogenic role of anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (anti-HMGCR) antibodies has been proposed. Our objective was to assess efficacy of rituximab (RTX) in anti-HMGCR immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy.Methods. All patients who had been treated with RTX were retrospectively reviewed to assess features and outcome.Results. Three of 9 patients demonstrated stable or improved muscle strength {\textpm} decline in creatine kinase levels, or T2/short-tau inversion recovery hypersignal decrease on magnetic resonance imaging following RTX treatment. RTX permitted intravenous immunoglobulin discontinuation and corticosteroid reduction to low dose in 2 patients.Conclusion. One-third of patients with refractory anti-HMGCR had improved strength or other evidence of improved disease activity following RTX treatment.}, issn = {0315-162X}, URL = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/46/6/623}, eprint = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/46/6/623.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of Rheumatology} }