abatacept + rituximab

A combination therapy consisting of abatacept (Orencia) and rituximab (Rituxan), two distinct biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with different mechanisms of action for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Abatacept is a fusion protein that selectively modulates T-cell costimulation by binding to CD80 and CD86 receptors on antigen-presenting cells, thereby blocking their interaction with CD28 on T cells and inhibiting T-cell activation. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets CD20-positive B cells, depleting them from circulation and thus addressing another aspect of the autoimmune response in rheumatoid arthritis.