Ocrevus

Disease Target Area: Multiple Sclerosis

About the Disease:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that occurs when the body’s immune system behaves abnormally and attacks the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves of the central nervous system (CNS). It is the leading cause of nervous system-related disability in young people, usually striking between 20 and 40 years of age. In the US, approximately 400,000 people have this progressive disorder, and women are two to three times more likely to develop MS than men.

MS is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin (the insulation around the nerves) in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, causing inflammation and myelin damage. In people with MS, damaged nerves in the CNS lose their ability to communicate with the rest of the body, leading to unpredictable and often debilitating symptoms.

The cause of MS is still unknown. Scientists believe that a combination of environmental and genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing MS.

Approval:

The FDA has approved Ocrevus as the first and only medicine for treating two kinds of multiple sclerosis (MS): the relapsing forms (RMS), which are the most common, and primary progressive MS (PPMS), which is the most debilitating and for which there have been no approved treatments. Most people with MS have RMS or PPMS at diagnosis.

Still learning: Future of the Disease and GNE Research:

– Ocrevus is approved for use in patients with relapsing and primary progressive MS. Our goal is to Identify biomarkers and that drive use of Ocrevus in early and/or fast progressors by understanding potential prognostic and predictive biomarkers
– Identify and treat patients sooner through better understanding of disease biology and MOA (chronic vs acute inflammation)

Reverse Translation in action:

With our data and learnings from our Ocrevus trials, we have been able to identify 2 genes (or biomarkers) that are linked to disease progression