March 17, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Full Transcript of Interview with Tim Coetzee of the National MS Society Here is a transcript ofĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today‘s interview with Dr. Tim Coetzee ā chief advocacy, services and research officer for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society ā about the importance of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s awaitedĀ decisionĀ onĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), and the other ongoing research. Tim…
March 15, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Pilot Study May Lead to Telemedicine Benefiting People with Multiple Sclerosis Telemedicine, which allows healthcare professionals to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients at a distance with telecommunications technology, may soon benefit people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Elizabeth Morrison-Banks, MD, a health sciences clinical professor at theĀ University of California at RiversideĀ School of Medicine,Ā is planning a pilot one-year study of a home-based…
March 2, 2017 Columns by admin Ocrevus: Counting Down to Expected FDA Approval There is now less than a month until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve Ocrevus, generic name ocrelizumab, for use as a therapy for multiple sclerosis. Clinical trials have shown Genentechās drug to be a promising therapy for relapsing MS and, significantly,…
February 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD ‘Ocrevus Has the Potential to Change How MS Is Treated,’ Genentech’s Peter Chin Says in Interview March 28, at the latest, may be a historic date for the multiple sclerosis (MS) community ā patients, families, caregivers, researchers, and physicians alike. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have its say about the marketing approval forĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab). The drugĀ willĀ be the first to offerĀ benefit to…
February 28, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD 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…
January 4, 2017 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski FDA’s Delay in Approving Ocrevus is Normal Part of the Process Long-awaited approval of the multiple sclerosis drug Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) has been delayed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. What had been publicized widely as a late December 2016 FDA approval hearing has now been pushed to late March 2017. The drugās manufacturer, Genentech, issued a very…
December 21, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD New Phase 3 Trial of Ocrevus to Treat RRMS Begins Enrolling Patients in US Genentech is recruiting U.S. participants for a Phase 3 study (NCT02637856) of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who were notĀ helped by previous disease-modifying therapies, according to a press release from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The trial is an open-label study, meaning…
December 1, 2016 Columns by Laura Kolaczkowski E! News Celebrity Zuri Hall Encourages Support for MS Caregivers Family Caregiver Month is observed each November, and it is estimated there are more than 90 million family members in the U.S. giving full-time care to people who have complex needs. In recognition of the work of the multiple sclerosis caregiver community, pharmaceutical company Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche,…
September 23, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Primary Progressive MS Patients May Soon Have Ocrevus as Treatment Results from the ORATORIO trial, exploring Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) for the treatment of primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), showed that the drug stopped disease progression for more than two years in more patients than a placebo. The findings, a highlight at the European Committee for Treatment and Research…
August 1, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD 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…
August 1, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Phase 3 Study of Ocrevus in Relapsing MS Patients Now Recruiting in US and Canada A Phase 3 clinical trial exploring Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is now recruiting participants. The trial, sponsored by Genentech (NCT02637856), is seekingĀ patients who have previously taken aĀ disease-modifying treatment that did not adequately controlĀ their disease activity. Participants mustĀ be between 18 and 55…
June 6, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD #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…
June 3, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #CMSC16 – Study of PPMS Patient Characteristics Highlights Need for More Information PeopleĀ with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS)Ā are usually older and more disabled than thoseĀ withĀ relapsing-remitting MS, researchers atĀ Washington UniversityĀ reported. The team is studying demographic and clinical characteristics of PPMS patients enrolled in theĀ NARCOMSĀ registry, to better understand their unmet needs and possibly improve research into potential treatments. The study, ā…
April 14, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Genentech to Present New Data from Phase 3 Trials of Ocrevus in MS Patients at AAN Annual Meeting GenentechĀ announced that it will present new data from three Phase 3 clinical trials ofĀ its experimental multiple sclerosis (MS) therapyĀ Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) at the 68th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) being held in Vancouver, Canada, from April 15ā21, 2016. Additionally, results of a new endpoint for…
February 18, 2016 News by BioNews Staff FDA Grants ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ Designation to Genentechās 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…
October 10, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD EXCLUSIVE: Genentech/Roche Interview with MS News Today on Promising MS Therapy Ocrelizumab #ECTRIMS 2015 Dr. Peter Chin, a renowned neurologist and Principal Medical Director of Global Neuroscience Development at Genentech, a leading biotechnology company and member of the Roche Group, participated in an exclusive interview with Multiple Sclerosis News Today correspondent Dr. Ana de Barros on the companyās promising multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy…
September 29, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Could Genentechās Ocrelizumab Become the First Effective Primary Progressive MS Therapy? Genentech, a leading biotechnology company and member of the Roche Group, recently announced promising results on a pivotal Phase III clinical trial (ORATORIO) assessing its investigational therapyĀ ocrelizumab as a treatmentĀ for patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that results from…