News Roche to Pursue MS Ocrelizumab Drug Market Authorization Roche to Pursue MS Ocrelizumab Drug Market Authorization by Patricia Silva, PhD | November 11, 2015 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link RocheĀ recently provided an update on their late-stage pipeline products across several therapeutic areas, including ocrelizumab for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The data was disclosed on Nov. 5 at the Roche Pharma Day 2015 event in London, U.K. Ocrelizumab was previously revealed to be the first investigational medicine to have a positive impact in two forms of multiple sclerosis, primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) and relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). Ocrelizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody against immune B cells that express CD20 proteins at their surface. These cells are thought to be a key contributor to the myelin and neuron damage that leads to motor function impairment, irreversible neurological disability, and paralysis in multiple sclerosis patients.Ā Roche is planning to submit data on ocrelizumab to global regulatory authorities in early 2016 to obtain marketing authorization for the drug as a potential new therapy for RMS and a first approved treatment for PPMS. Apart from the update on the companyās most advanced investigational therapeuticsĀ presented at the event, executives also briefed investors and analysts on Rocheās strategy, R&D productivity, management and new market opportunities. Rocheās strategy is to continue to focus on innovation and treatment advancement across a range of high medical need areas. The company plans to further explore the wealth of molecular data becoming available and use that informationĀ in drug discovery and development. āThanks to our diversified late-stage portfolio we are well positioned to maintain our leadership in oncology, expand further in the immunology and ophthalmology segments, and potentially offer new treatments to help improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis and haemophilia,ā said Daniel OāDay, COO of Rocheās Pharmaceuticals Division in a news release. āAnd we are looking to harness the vast increase in molecular information as the next important step in our efforts to develop even better, more personalized treatment solutions.ā Roche made the presentations available online. For more information, please visit the link or listen to aĀ live webcast of Roche’s 3rd Quarter 2015 salesĀ here. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Silva, PhD PatrĆcia holds a PhD in medical microbiology and infectious diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal. Her work in academia was mainly focused on molecular biology and the genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites. PatrĆcia earned several travel awards to present her work at international scientific meetings. She is a published author of several peer-reviewed science articles. Tags ocrelizumab, PPMS, RMS, Roche
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