Supplementary data for rituximab treatment of pemphigus in a Chinese population

Pemphigus is a life-threatening autoimmune dermatosis due to both extensive skin damage and the side effects of conventional high-dose corticosteroid treatment. Rituximab has been reported to be effective for the treatment of severe pemphigus. The combination of rituximab and short-term prednisone has recently been evaluated as a first-line treatment for pemphigus and reported to be safer and more effective than prednisone alone. However, little has been reported on the use of rituximab in Chinese patients with pemphigus. The data include the supplementary materials of a long-term observation of 74 Chinese pemphigus patients treated with rituximab under two established treatment protocols.