More to know of OCREVUS (Ocrelizumab),

                                                                  

OCREVUS (generic name Ocrelizumab) is a humanized monoclonal antibody under clinical investigation and development by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche as a potential treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The therapy is targeted against mature B-lymphocytes with CD20 markers on their surface, giving the drug an immunosuppressive function that might reduce the rates of immune system attacks on its own myelinated neurons, the main pathogenesis in the disease. OCREVUS is not yet an approved therapy, but it has shown promise in treating both relapsing forms of multiple sclerosisand primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a disease form with no approved treatments to date.

Ocrelizumab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, targets mature B-cells. Almost 95 percent of the B-cell population has these antigenic epitopes after maturation and does not shed them, which is what makes it a potent marker for therapeutic purposes. It is believed that these CD20-positive B-cells target axons and myelin sheaths of healthy neurons, initiating a cascading series of immune reactions that lead to MS and disability in patients. Preclinical studies have shown that ocrelizumab binds to specific B-cells with CD20 markers but not to stem cells and plasma cells, preserving vital immune functions within the host.

More to read

Visit our MS Learning Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/msviewsandnews