Could anti-CD20 therapy jeopardize the efficacy of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine?

Houot, Roch; Levy, Ronald; Cartron, Guillaume; Armand, Philippe

A vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 might represent the most promising approach to halt durably the current COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that anti-CD20 therapy may jeopardize the efficacy of such a vaccine. This is regrettable because patients receiving anti-CD20 therapy (i.e. those with hematologic malignancies or autoimmune disorders) are particularly at risk of severe COVID-19 and, as such, are the most in need of a vaccine. Here, we review the reasons why anti-CD20 therapy may abrogate or diminish the efficacy of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and we draw physicians’ attention towards this potential risk so that it can be considered when evaluating the risk/benefit ratio of anti-CD20 therapy during the current pandemic.