Roche’s MS Drug Slashes Need for Walking Aid

In a late-stage study, Roche’s monoclonal antibody Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) reduced the need for a walking aid in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) by 35 percent after 7.5 years of treatment.

And in a separate phase 3 trial, Ocrevus yielded a 29 percent reduction in 48-week confirmed disability progression over eight years of therapy, the company said.

Eight-year data from multiple trials show “reductions in progression to disability when given early in the disease,” said Levi Garraway, Roche's chief medical officer and head of global product development.

Ocrevus is a monoclonal antibody that works by targeting CD20-positive B-cells, a type of immune cell believed to contribute to nerve cell damage.