MS patients report feeling better after a year of biosimilar treatment
Study links ocrelizumab biosimilar to quality-of-life improvements
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- An Ocrevus biosimilar (Xacrel) was linked to improved physical and mental quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis.
- Treatment with Xacrel was also associated with reduced depression severity over one year.
- Fatigue severity did not change with the Ocrevus biosimilar during the study period.
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) reported improvements in physical and mental quality of life along with reduced depression after one year of treatment with an ocrelizumab biosimilar, according to a small study conducted in Iran.
The observational study followed 30 adults with MS who received Xacrel, an ocrelizumab biosimilar approved in Iran, and assessed patient-reported outcomes related to quality of life, depression, and fatigue. While measures of quality of life and depression improved over the 12-month period, fatigue severity showed no significant change.
“Given the growing emphasis on integrating [patient-reported outcomes] into routine MS care, these findings may offer additional insight into the patient experience and highlight potential avenues for improving patients’ quality of life and individualized care,” researchers wrote.
The study, “Impact of ocrelizumab on quality of life, fatigue, and depression among multiple sclerosis patients,” was published in Acta Neurologica Belgica.
How ocrelizumab therapies work in multiple sclerosis
Ocrevus, the original ocrelizumab therapy, and its biosimilar are antibody treatments designed to reduce immune B-cells, which play a key role in MS-related inflammation and nerve damage. The therapies are approved for relapsing forms of MS as well as primary progressive MS (PPMS).
While both medications have been shown to reduce relapses and lesions and to slow the progression of disability, less is known about their impact on patient-reported outcomes, “especially those related to mental health,” the researchers wrote.
To better understand these effects, researchers in Iran followed 30 adults with MS who received Xacrel for up to one year. Most participants had relapsing-remitting MS (73.3%), while the remainder had PPMS (23.3%) or secondary progressive MS (3.3%).
While participants reported a reduced health-related quality of life before starting treatment, they experienced significant improvements after one year in several areas, including general health, vitality, and role-emotional functioning (how emotional issues limit daily activities). Mental and physical quality-of-life scores also improved significantly.
Depression scores improved after one year of treatment
Depression severity also decreased over the course of treatment. While 16.7% of patients had severe depression at study start, none did after one year. At the same time, more patients fell into the minimal and mild depression categories.
In contrast, fatigue severity did not change significantly over the one-year study period.
The researchers also performed statistical analysis to explore how clinical and demographic factors were associated with quality of life, depression, and fatigue at baseline. They found that patients with greater disease severity reported worse physical functioning and general health, while people with relapsing forms of MS reported better physical functioning.
“In this observational study, patients treated with ocrelizumab showed improvements in health-related quality of life, particularly in physical and mental domains, as well as a reduction in depression severity over a 12-month period,” the researchers concluded.
