Following the prevalence of multiple sclerosis, it has been undeniable that it has swiftly affected millions of lives. Since then, a significant number of experts have considered multiple sclerosis as a yet mysterious auto-immune chronic disease, whose known impacts includes damage to the sheaths of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Some of the symptoms may include numbness, impairment of speech and of muscular coordination, blurred vision, and severe fatigue. That said, a newly approved drug, tagged as the game changer, has recently shown its promising effects to treat multiple sclerosis.
Being the first hospital in Illinois to offer the treatment, Rush University Medical Center is now seen to potentially provide hope for patients inflicted with multiple sclerosis. Authorities from the said institution have explained that as soon as the person started taking on Ocrevus, they have a 90-plus percent chance of having lesser lesions until it completely halts the process of disease growth. Apart from treating the most common form of MS, known as Relapsing MS, Ocrevus is also the first and only therapy for Primary Progressive MS, which doctors haven't been able to cure since MS has been discovered.
Known as a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, Ocrevus allegedly has the ability to slow down the progression of MS in the Phase 3 OPERA I and OPERA II clinical trials. Accordingly, researchers have revealed that those patients who were treated with Ocrevus in both the OPERA and extension trials also showed favorable unadjusted annualized relapse rate outcomes. As of the press time, it was found that Ocrevus has already received an approval from the US Food And Drug Administration as the first treatment for both relapsing MS and primary progressive MS.
Furthermore, doctors also say that the side effects are minimal. However, Roche, the drug manufacturer, is now in the process of investigating an isolated complaint of a patient who has allegedly developed a rare brain infection after receiving one treatment with Ocrevus. Ultimately, the company has claimed that the infection was the result of the patient's previous MS treatment and has nothing to do with receiving Ocrevus.