Ocrevus

Ocrevus’ Journey from Defiant Idea to Game-Changing Treatment

Twenty years ago, the idea that B-cell depletion could treat multiple sclerosisĀ would have been greeted with a hearty laughĀ byĀ any well-respected neurologist or MS researcher ā€” or perhapsĀ a scoff. But times change and research advances. Today, a medicine that gets rid of certain B-cells may beĀ the most powerful drug yetĀ developed against…

Ocrevus and the Hope of ‘Ending MS Forever’: Interview with MS Societyā€™s Tim Coetzee

The potential approval of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)Ā this monthĀ supports the idea that, someday, a world free of multiple sclerosis (MS) is possible, according to Dr. Tim Coetzee, the National Multiple Sclerosis Societyā€™s chief advocacy, services and research officer. While Coetzee ā€” and the society he representsĀ ā€” realize the potential of…

Full Transcript of Interview with Genentech’s Medical Director, Peter Chin, on Ocrevus

BelowĀ is a transcript of theĀ Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ interview with Dr. Peter Chin ā€” principal medical director at Genentech ā€” about the importance of the pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a Biologics Licensing Application (BLA) for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). An an indepth article on this interview,Ā lookingĀ Ocrevus…

#ACTRIMS2017 – Ocrevus Significantly Decreases Disease Activity in MS Patients, Study Shows

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), an investigational monoclonal antibody, significantly decreases disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and is associated with a higher proportion of patients reaching no evidence of disease activity (NEDA), according to a new analysis. The study,Ā ā€œNEDA analysis by epoch in patients with relapsing multiple…

#ACTRIMS2017 – 3 Trials Show MS Patients Receiving Ocrevus Had No Elevated Infection Risk

A detailed analysis ofĀ relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the three Phase 3 trials of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) showed that the treatment did not significantly increase their risk of infections ā€” serious or otherwise. Certain infections, including common colds and influenza, were numerically more common among Ocrevus-treated patients,…

#ACTRIMS2017 – No Evidence of Progression More Likely Among PPMS Patients on Ocrevus

Genentechā€™s Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) increased the proportion of patients with no evidence of progression (NEP) in the recently concluded ORATORIO Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). The evaluation of NEPĀ ā€” a combined measure of three disability assessments ā€” was a secondary exploratory endpoint of…

Reports on MS Treatment Market Show Growing Shift to Oral Therapies

The multiple sclerosis (MS) market shiftedĀ during 2016, with oral disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) capturing a greater share and Sanofi-Genzyme’s Aubagio (teriflunomide) being poised for growth, according to a press releaseĀ fromĀ Spherix Global Insights. The conclusions were included in the company’sĀ ā€œRealTime Dynamix: Multiple Sclerosis,ā€ a quarterly report based…

Top 10 Multiple Sclerosis Articles of 2016

A number ofĀ important discoveries, therapeutic developments, and events related to multiple sclerosis (MS) were reported dailyĀ by Multiple Sclerosis News Today throughout 2016. Now that the year is over, it is time to briefly review the articles that appealed most toĀ ourĀ readers. Here are the top 10 most-read articles of 2016, with…

Still Waiting on Ocrevus

  Several months ago I wrote a blog on my personal websiteĀ aboutĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the first drug that’s designed specifically to treat primary progressive, as well as remitting, multiple sclerosis. The clinical trials forĀ Ocrevus posted excellent results. The buzz in the medical community was good, Ā and it was…

MS Drugs – Who’s Using What?

Most of us who live with multiple sclerosis also live with a disease modifying therapy (DMT) ā€” a drug that, we hope, will positively modify the course of our disease. One of the earliest of these was Avonex, a weekly injection into the muscle. I was one of those…

#ECTRIMS2016 – New Data Show Ocrevus Effective in Treating Primary and Relapsing MS

Positive new dataĀ from Phase 3 clinical trials assessingĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as a treatment for both relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) were recently announced by Roche, the company responsible for marketing and developing this investigationalĀ therapy. The results are being presented at the 32nd Congress of the…

Genentech Enrolling Relapsing MS Patients in Study of Mechanism of Action for Ocrevus

In addition to a new study sponsored by GenentechĀ to test the experimentalĀ MS therapyĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)Ā in RMS patients who have had a sub-optimal response to previous disease modifying therapies, the company is also currently recruiting patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis to understand the therapy’sĀ mechanism of action and B-cell biology…

Study of Potential Therapy for Relapsing MS That Targets B-Cells Now Recruiting Patients in US

Patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā are being recruited forĀ aĀ clinical trial evaluatingĀ an experimental monoclonal antibody called ublituximab, the National MS Society announced in a recentĀ newsĀ release. The study, being conducted at seven U.S. sites, will enroll at least 24 patients, but this number can go up to 100. MSĀ is considered to be…

ICER Draft Report Evaluating Therapies for RRMS Now Open for Public Comment

TheĀ Institute of Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)Ā released the early draft of a paper intended toĀ informĀ a future report evaluating the effectiveness and value of disease-modifying therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The paper, called aĀ draft scopingĀ document, is titled “Disease Modifying Therapies for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Effectiveness and…

1st Potential Therapy for Primary Progressive MS, Ocrelizumab, Under Priority Review by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is givingĀ priority review to a request to approveĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as a treatment forĀ both forms of multiple sclerosis, the drug’s developer,Ā Genentech, announced. If the company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) is approved,Ā Ocrevus will become the first drug ableĀ to treat patients with either relapsing or…

#CMSC16 – Ocrevus (Ocrelizumab) in PPMS Prevented Disability Progression, Lowered MRI Lesion Volume, Study Shows

Data recently presented at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) 2016 Annual Meeting showed that Roche/Genentechā€™s investigational drugĀ ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) lowered the risk of disability progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a condition for which no approved treatments exist. The study was presented during the “…

#CMSC16 – Genentech’s Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) a Promising Therapy for Primary Progressive MS; Interview with Lead Researcher

Genentech,Ā a member of the RocheĀ Group, was founded more than 35 years ago and has been focused on a variety of research fields, includingĀ cancer, immunology, neurodegenerative disorders, metabolic diseases, and infectious diseases. Genentech has been committed to discovering and developing new medicines for patients with major diseases of the nervous…

FDA Grants ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ Designation to Genentechā€™s Ocrelizumab for PPMS

Genentech recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted its investigational medicine ocrelizumab, a potential treatment forĀ primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS),Ā Breakthrough Therapy DesignationĀ based on positiveĀ Phase 3 clinical trial results showing thatĀ ocrelizumab significantly reduced disability progression and other disease activity markers compared toĀ placebo. The FDA designation is…