A Study of Ocrelizumab in Patients With Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Please see clinicaltrials.gov entry describing the Ocrelizumab PPMS trial: <click here>

This study is based on the postive results of the PPMS Rituximab trial that I have commented on before.

Hawker et al. Rituximab in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis: results of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter trial. Ann Neurol. 2009 Oct;66(4):460-71.

In the Rituximab study time to confirmed progression between Rituximab and placebo treated groups was not significant. However, subgroup analyses suggest selective B-cell depletion may affect disease progression in younger patients, particularly those with inflammatory lesions on MRI (Gd-enhancing lesions). 

Please note that Ocrelizumab is the follow-on compound of Rituximab; both these drugs are monoclonal antibodies that target a protein CD20 that is expressed on B cells. Exactly how these drugs work is not known. However, I suspect that they may work by suppressing EBV infection with the body. The response of MS to anti-CD20 therapies is one of the arguments I use to support my EBV-MS causation theory.

"Our site is now recruiting for the ocrelizumab trial."

CoI: Multiple