New data for Roche’s OCREVUS (ocrelizumab) reinforce significant benefit on slowing disease progression in relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis - Seite 2

Post-hoc analysis Phase III ORATORIO: Slowed atrophied T2-lesion accumulation in PPMS
OCREVUS treatment significantly slowed accumulation of atrophied T2-lesion volume (aT2-LV) compared with placebo at 120 weeks in a post-hoc analysis of the ORATORIO study in PPMS (319 mm3 vs. 366 mm3 with placebo, p<0.015). AT2-LV is a measure that reflects the volume of T2 lesions in brain tissue that is replaced by cerebrospinal fluid, and is believed to be a marker of disease progression in MS. People with PPMS experience three to five times higher accumulation of aT2-LV than people with relapsing MS and these data suggest that OCREVUS may favourably impact the underlying progressive biology of MS.

Two-year US claims analysis: Highest adherence and persistence rates
Approximately 80% of patients adhered to twice-yearly (six-monthly) dosing of OCREVUS after their second year of treatment compared with other DMTs, which were grouped by administration route (35% adherence to injectables, 55% to orals and 54% to other infusions), in a new analysis of U.S. commercial and insurance claims databases. OCREVUS also had the highest proportion of patients (75%) persist with therapy at two years (33% with injectables, 54% with orals and 55% with other infusions).

With rapidly growing real-world experience and more than 200,000 people treated globally, OCREVUS is the first and only therapy approved for relapsing MS (RMS; including RRMS and active, or relapsing, secondary progressive MS [SPMS], in addition to clinically isolated syndrome [CIS] in the U.S.) and PPMS. At Roche, we are constantly striving to optimise the care for people with MS and a shorter two-hour OCREVUS infusion time, dosed twice yearly (six-monthly), is now approved for eligible people with RMS or PPMS in the U.S. and EU.

OCREVUS is approved in 95 countries across North America, South America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, as well as in Australia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU).

About multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects up to a million people in the U.S. and more than 2.8 million people worldwide. MS occurs when the immune system abnormally attacks the insulation and support around nerve cells (myelin sheath) in the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and optic nerves), causing inflammation and consequent damage. This damage can cause a wide range of symptoms, including muscle weakness, fatigue and difficulty seeing, and may eventually lead to disability. Most people with MS experience their first symptom between 20 and 40 years of age, making the disease the leading cause of non-traumatic disability in younger adults.