Ocrelizumab Data Go Against Traditional Conceptions of Wearing Off Effect

Stuart SchlossmanOcrevus

 November 18, 2021  – Marco Meglio


Ilya Kister, MD, professor of neurology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, discussed his surprising results from ECTRIMS, which found no evidence of wearing off with ocrelizumab (Ocrevus; Genentech).

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Ilya Kister, MD

For years, there has been ongoing debate as to whether disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) prescribed for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a “wearing-off” effect throughout their infusion cycle. Although this concern has been voiced by the patient community, there is little concrete research to confirm these concerns. The SYMBOLS study (NCT04855617), a prospective, observational, 2-center trial, aims to describe changes in symptom severity in patients with MS treated with ocrelizumab, an FDA approved anti-CD20 antibody therapy administered at 6-month intervals.

Preliminary results presented at the 37th Congress of European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), October 13-15, did not support the hypothesis that there is a wearing-off phenomenon with ocrelizumab. Among 69 participants who completed the week 4 and week 22 questionnaires, the symptom burden was unchanged from week 4 post-infusion to week 22 post-infusion.

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