While there are currently no approved disease -modifying therapies to treat progressive MS, results from a recent Phase III trail could change that landscape. In a press announcement by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, the company announced that the experiental monoclonal antibody, ocrelizumb, significantly slowed progression of disability compared to placebo in a Phase II trial involving 732 people with primary progressive MS. Additional data from the trial will be reported at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS) in Barcelona in October, and may further inform the path forward to other potential treatments for progressive MS.
"An effective treatment for people with progressive MS would be truly-changing progress," said Prof. Alan Thompson, chair of the International Progressive MS Alliance Scientific Steering Committee. "We await the detailed safety and efficacy data with great anticipation , and hope for the future." The Alliance will continue to monitor all potiential area of progress and increased understanding in order to accelerate the development of treatment for people with progressive MS.
