CD20 Inhibitors & Biosimilars
15 drugsAbout CD20
B-Lymphocyte Antigen CD20 (MS4A1) is a transmembrane protein expressed on B cells. It regulates B-cell activation and proliferation, making it a key target for immune-mediated diseases and B-cell lymphomas.
CD20 is a clinically validated drug target, though genetic evidence linking CD20 variations to specific diseases is moderate (max score 0.48). Activation of CD20 is likely beneficial based on genetic data.
CD20 is targeted by 15 FDA-approved drugs, including TRUXIMA, RITUXAN and OCREVUS. These drugs include antibodies (6), other biologics (6), and bispecific antibodies (3), primarily for oncology indications.
CD20 Genetic Evidence Moderate
Genetic evidence provides moderate support for CD20 as a drug target (max score 0.48).
Further research into the genetic associations with vitamin B deficiency could reveal novel therapeutic opportunities.
💡 Why activation?
- • Loss-of-function variants increase disease risk (OR > 1) — restoring function may help
- • 100% directional consistency across 1 traits
- • Strong signal in immune system disease, hematologic disease, genetic, familial or congenital disease pathways
Cross-Disease Effects
Trade-off: LowDirection of Effect
100% alignedEvidence Across Diseases
3 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link MS4A1 to 3 diseases.
Loss-of-function causes disease; activation may help
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 0.99eQTL/pQTL signals for MS4A1 colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top CD20 Drugs
Eight companies have approved CD20-targeting drugs, with Novartis, CELLTRION INC, and Roche leading the market.
The presence of multiple players suggests a competitive market, but also opportunities for strategic partnerships or acquisitions.
| Drug | Company | Approved | Indications |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRUXIMA | CELLTRION INC | 2018 | 6 |
| ARZERRA | Novartis | 2009 | 4 |
| EPKINLY | GENMAB US, INC. | 2023 | 3 |
| KESIMPTA | Novartis | 2009 | 3 |
| BRIUMVI | TG THERAPEUTICS, INC | 2022 | 3 |
| GAZYVA | Roche | 2013 | 3 |
| RITUXAN HYCELA | Roche | 2017 | 3 |
| OCREVUS | Roche | 2017 | 2 |
| COLUMVI | Roche | 2023 | 2 |
| ZEVALIN | SPECTRUM PHARMS | 2002 | 1 |
| LUNSUMIO | Roche | 2022 | 1 |
| OCREVUS ZUNOVO | Roche | 2024 | 1 |
CD20 Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
CD20 is exclusively targeted by antibodies, suggesting it may be a cell-surface or secreted protein.
The bispecific antibody modality represents a growing segment, suggesting an opportunity for novel therapeutic approaches.
📈 Modality Evolution
Antibodies pioneered CD20 targeting (1997), with bispecific antibodies entering more recently (2022).
CD20 Clinical Trials 1,828 trials
Phase 1-4 trials started in 2008 or later that test an FDA-approved drug acting on CD20. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. How we count
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Stopped | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 508 | 213 | 113 | 179 | 65% |
| Phase 2 | 895 | 319 | 153 | 418 | 68% |
| Phase 3 | 344 | 139 | 55 | 150 | 72% |
| Phase 4 | 81 | 39 | 11 | 31 | 78% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Top Drugs
Phase 3 Readout Calendar Pro
8 Phase 3 trials testing approved CD20 drugs across all sponsors.
Coverage: trials whose intervention is an approved drug targeting CD20. Pre-approval candidates with development codes (e.g. AZD0901, MK-7240) are not yet linked. Anchored on CT.gov primary completion date.
CD20 Drug Approval Timeline (1997 - 2024)
The first CD20-targeting drug was approved in 1997, with the most recent approval in 2024.
The continued approvals indicate sustained interest in CD20 as a target, but also suggest increasing market saturation.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 8 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 15 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 15-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Sponsors: 530 (129 companies)
- • Completion rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Count Trials
- Trials: phase 1-4 interventional trials on ClinicalTrials.gov that started in 2008 or later and test an FDA-approved drug acting on CD20. A trial counts if an approved drug acting on CD20 is in any arm, including as a comparator, and a trial that tests two such drugs counts once. Trials that test only unapproved drugs are not counted. A trial listed as phase 1/2 counts as phase 1, and phase 2/3 as phase 2.
- Active: recruiting, not yet recruiting, enrolling by invitation, or active and no longer recruiting.
- Completion rate: of the trials that have ended, the share marked Completed rather than Terminated or Withdrawn. Completed means the trial ended as planned; it does not mean the drug worked. Suspended trials are not counted as ended.
- Stopped: terminated or withdrawn. Trials stop for many reasons, including slow enrolment and business decisions, not only safety or efficacy.
- Sponsors: the lead sponsor of each trial. Companies are the sponsors ClinicalTrials.gov classes as industry; the rest are universities, hospitals, cooperative groups, government bodies and individuals.