What is Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease (AIED)?
AIED is an unusual form of progressive hearing loss, involving both ears. AIED occurs over a period of weeks to months and affects hearing, and often balance function, in both ears. AIED is believed to be caused by a patient’s altered immune system which causes inflammation of the inner ear. AIED is currently treated with medications that affect the immune system, including prednisone, methotrexate, and Humira. What is the purpose of this clinical trial? The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the use of Rituxan in the treatment of AIED. Randomized clinical trials evaluating Rituxan have been conducted for other autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, and dermatomyositis, and have demonstrated some benefit. Although the benefit of Rituxan for AIED is not known, the lack of effective therapies to manage AIED justifies evaluation of a novel approach to the management of this disease. What kind of a study is this? This is a Phase II outpatient study that is be
