Efficacy and Mechanism of Anti-CD20 Antibodies in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Based on Multi Omics Studies
This is a prospective, single-arm, single-center, explorative clinical trial to evaluate the effect of Rituximab on disease progression in subjects with SLE-PAH receiving concurrent stable-dose standard medical therapy. The study will focus on assessment of clinical response and safety measures longitudinally. In addition, the biomarker of treatment efficacy with Rituximab and pathogenic autoantibody response in this disease will be investigated.
• 1\. Subject has provided written informed consent.
• 2\. Subject must be between the ages of 18 and 65, inclusive at the time of recruitment
• 3\. Clinical diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Diagnosis of SLE-PAH within the past 5 years, with a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) of ≥ 25 mmHg, PAWP ≤15mmHg, mean PVR of \> 3 Wood units at entry.
• 4\. WHO Functional Class II, III, or IV.
• 5\. Subjects must have been treated with background medical therapy for PAH (prostanoid, endothelin receptor antagonist, PDE-5 inhibitor, and/or guanylate cyclase stimulators) for a minimum of 8 weeks and have been on stable dose(s) of those medical therapy(ies) for at least 4 weeks prior to randomization with no expectation of change for 24 weeks after randomization.