Toward an innovative and cost-effective treatment for major cardiovascular events
Introduction
Given the important role that inflammation plays in heart
disease, can an existing drug, CD20 monoclonal antibody
(mAb) rituximab (currently used for treating cancer and
lymphoma), be safely repurposed to target inflammation
-based heart disease? Can we do better on top of existing
therapies, which currently only reduce cardiovascular risk by
25-30%? Can said drug treatment improve the recovery of
heart function after a heart attack?
These are some of the hypotheses the RITA-MI 2 consortium
of 13 organisations is setting out to prove with their new
therapeutic strategy. Targeting patients’ immune response
immediately after myocardial infarction (MI), the study is
currently in phase 2 clinical trial.
Overview
The RITA-MI2 clinical trial builds on the ground-breaking
work of a unique consortium of doctors and scientists,
following an initial phase 1/2a clinical trial (RITA-MI,
NCT03072199) that established the safety of the rituximab
treatment at the acute phase of MI.
These research partners are now testing this new therapy in
more than 550 patients with acute MI. Based on selective
targeting of a specific immune cell subset, mature B
lymphocytes, the ultimate aim is to improve heart function
recovery and substantially reduce the progression to heart
failure after MI.
The project in numbers
YEARS DURATION
COUNTRIES
PARTNERS
EUROPEAN COMMISSION FUNDING
PATIENTS RECRUITED
this research could help solve a significant unmet need in modern heart treatment.
RITA-MI 2 will conduct a phase 2b randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the impact of B cell depletion with the CD20 mAb rituximab drug on left ventricular dysfunction and cardiac remodelling after acute MI.
Objectives
The study has three main aims and objectives :
Prove core concept that rituximab improves heart function in STEMI patients
Assess impact of the drug on vascular inflammation
Better understand the immunopharmacology and cardioprotective mechanisms of rituximab
The partners
Latest news
Third Annual Meeting
📢 RITA-MI2 Partners met last Thursday 29th August in beautiful London for their annual meeting to take stock of the project 3 years after its launch. 🌍👩⚕️👨⚕️ A great opportunity for participants from all across Europe to discuss and plan the next 12 months...
20 recruitment centres already opened !
Regulatory approval has now been obtained for all participating coutries.✔️ Since the beginning of the RITA-MI2 trial in 2022, 20 recruitment centres, in France, the UK, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic have opened for recruitment. 👏 4 additional centres, in...