Therapy works by killing off antibody-producing B-cells involved in inflammatory responses
by Joana Vindeirinho, PhD | December 21, 2022
Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) was equally effective in reducing disease activity after two years in people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a new study reports.
The therapy also slowed disease progression in both groups, although a stronger effect was seen with RRMS patients in the second year of treatment.
The study, “Relapsing-remitting and primary progressive multiple sclerosis treated with ocrelizumab: A comparative study,” was published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.
Ocrevus, developed by Genentech, is a disease-modifying therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) that works by killing antibody-producing B-cells, which are involved in the damaging inflammatory responses driving MS. It’s approved for treating relapsing forms of MS and is the only approved treatment for PPMS to date.
While PPMS and RRMS are very different disease forms, few real-world studies have compared Ocrevus’ effects with these two MS types since its approval. Most existing data is related to safety, but “differences in clinical and radiological responses to [Ocrevus] in both clinical forms have not been fully investigated,” the researchers wrote.