A Phase 3 interventional study of Rituximab (Arm B) and Rituximab (Arm A) in Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis, Microscopic Polyangiitis and Renal Limited Forms, sponsored by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris. Completed at 1 site in France. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-05.
Sponsored by Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment
The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a rituximab regimen based on rate of ANCA and CD19 lymphocytes for maintenance treatment in systemic ANCA-associated vasculitis: prospective, multicenter, controlled, randomized comparative study of two rituximab regimens: one based on ANCA and CD19 lymphocytes versus systematic infusions.
Randomized, controlled, national, multicenter, prospective study to compare systematic rituximab infusions (conventional therapy) to rituximab infusion based on rate of ANCA and CD19 lymphocytes in patients with systemic ANCA-associated vasculitis, in remission (achieved with an induction treatment combining corticosteroids and an immunosuppressant after the first flare of the disease (new diagnosis) or after a relapse. Patients will be stratified by first flare (66% of the patients) or relapse (33% of the patients). Patients complying with the inclusion criteria may be included when they are in remission from their vasculitis. Patients will be included at the time of remission and then randomized. They will receive maintenance treatment by 1)2 rituximab infusions mg at D1, D15 then every 6 months until month 18 (i.e. a total of 5 infusions), at the dose of 500 mg. 2) 1 rituximab infusion at the dose of 500 mg at D0 then ANCA status and CD19+ lymphocyte count will be monitored every 3 months, and patients will receive new 500 mg rituximab infusions either if CD19 are > to 0/mm3, or if ANCA are positive again or if ANCA titer significantly raises. After the 18 month length of maintenance phase, i.e. after stopping immunosuppressive maintenance therapy, patients will be followed for an additional 10 month period. Patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis will be prescribed cotrimoxazole 160/800 tid (for 2 additional years).
104 studies on the registry are indexed under Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis; 16 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 166 is above the median of 70 across 69 interventional studies indexed under Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.
Browse Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis studies →Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris is the lead sponsor of 3,592 studies on the registry; 1,033 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.
Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Vaccines made with a weakened form of the germ, such as measles–mumps–rubella (MMR), chickenpox and yellow fever. They can be risky when the immune system is weakened. Flu injections are not live; the nasal flu spray is.
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hepatitis C tests
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hepatitis B tests
Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.
Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Metastases
Cancer that has spread from where it began to other parts of the body. “Metastatic” cancer is cancer that has spread this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Live vaccines
Vaccines made with a weakened form of the germ, such as measles–mumps–rubella (MMR), chickenpox and yellow fever. They can be risky when the immune system is weakened. Flu injections are not live; the nasal flu spray is.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
NYHA class (heart failure)
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Rituximab infusion based on ANCA and CD19 lymphocytes
Drug: Rituximab (Arm B)
Semestrial rituximab infusion until 18 months
Drug: Rituximab (Arm A)
Rituximab infusion will be performed at D1 then ANCA status and CD19+ lymphocyte count will be monitored every 3 months, and patients will receive new 500 mg rituximab infusions either if CD19 are \> to 0/mm3, or if ANCA are positive again or if ANCA titer significantly raises. All patients received corticosteroids, starting from induction with prednisone (or equivalent) at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day with gradual tapering according to a regimen adjusted to body weight over a mean of 18 months since diagnosis.
Rituximab infusion will be performed at D1, D15, M6, M12 and M18(i.e. a total of 5 infusions), at the dose of 500 mg at a fixed dosage.All patients received corticosteroids, starting from induction with prednisone (or equivalent) at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day with gradual tapering according to a regimen adjusted to body weight over a mean of 18 months since diagnosis.
Number of relapses
Number of relapses (BVAS\>0) majors and minors in each group at the end of the maintenance treatment (18 months treatment + 10 months follow-up)
Time frame: at 28 months
Number of patients with ANCA (Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmatic Antibodies)
Number of patients with ANCA in each group
Time frame: at 28 months
Number of adverse events
To assess the number of adverse events and their severity in each group
Time frame: at 28 months
Mortality rate
To assess mortality rate in each group
Time frame: at 28 months
Number of minor relapse
number of minor relapse in each group
Time frame: at 28 months
Cumulated dose of corticosteroid treatment
Cumulated dose of corticosteroid treatment in each group at 28 months
Time frame: at 28 months
Number and severity of damages
Number and severity of damages in each group
Time frame: at 28 months
Evolution of ANCA and the link of the clinical events
Evolution of ANCA in each group and the link of the clinical events
Time frame: at 28 months
Distribution of events by severity
Distribution of events by severity and it will be assigned to the drug and its mode of administration and/or the severity of the disease (in each group).
Time frame: at 28 months
Length of corticosteroid treatment
The length of corticosteroid treatment in each group at 28 months
Time frame: at 28 months
Rate of B-Lymphocytes CD-19 and the link of the clinical events
The rate of B-Lymphocytes CD-19 and the link of the clinical events
Time frame: at 28 months
Evolution of gammaglobulins
Time frame: at 28 months
Quality of life : SF36 (The Short Form (36) Health Survey)
Time frame: at 28 months
Functional capacities : HAQ (Health Assessment Questionnaire)
Time frame: at 28 months
Ran from Nov 2012 to primary completion in Apr 2016, 40 months.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Rituximab
Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis →
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