Rituximab (MabThera^®) is recommended as an option for use within NHS Wales for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe pemphigus vulgaris.

Rituximab should be prescribed by brand name to avoid automatic substitution and therefore help with pharmacovigilance.

Existing health technology assessment (HTA) advice for the ‘reference’ medicine, published by AWMSG or the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), will automatically apply for biosimilar medicines licensed for the same indication and in the same population as the ‘reference’ medicine.

Rituximab should be prescribed on the basis of lowest acquisition cost.