A recent study from the University of British Columbia’s Department of Medicine shows a correlation of rates of neurodegenerative processes, regarding volume loss in the brain, between healthy people and patients affected by (relapsing) multiple sclerosis.
Ocrelizumab, better known as Ocrevus, is a prescription medication that patients take to treat their MS. Ocrevus is a monoclonal antibody that targets CD20-positive B cells - immune cells that develop MS - and binds to them, effectively abolishing them from someone’s nervous system.
The study took data from 44 healthy patients and 59 ocrelizumab-treated patients, all enrolled in OPERA II, a clinical trial that assessed the safety of Ocrevus compared to a placebo when treating RMS. All patients also underwent MRI scans for a span of 2 years; certain parts of the brain, such as white matter, cortical gray matter, thalamus, cerebrum, and the whole brain itself were analyzed by both regional and global brain loss rates.
The research found that the demonstrated brain loss rates were similar to those of the healthy controls, suggesting that medication can play a major role in reducing tissue loss in patients with MS, but also contributing to the popular notion that inflammation does indeed play a part in the neurodegeneration that comes with MS.
However, the study does highlight the importance of the fact that acute inflammation is largely absent in anti-CD20 medication and therapy: “There remains a fundamental gap in understanding brain volume loss rates under anti-CD20 therapies, where acute inflammation is nearly absent ”, the researchers state. This study comparing brain volume loss rates between Ocrelizumab-treated patients and healthy aging rates was performed to shed light on the impact that certain medications can have on the neurodegenerative processes exhibited by those with (R)MS.
Largely, the research helps the general understanding of the effects of Ocrevus and underscores how important inflammation is in the disease process. By using Ocrevus to target inflammation, there may be benefits in preserving the tissue of the brain and decreasing disease progression in mainly RMS-affected people.
Citations:
“OCREVUS® (Ocrelizumab): Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Treatment.” Ocrevus, www.ocrevus.com/. Accessed 17 May 2023.
Kolind S, Gaetano L, Assemlal H-E, et al. Ocrelizumab-treated patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis show volume loss rates similar to healthy aging. Multiple Sclerosis Journal. 2023;29(6):741-747. doi:10.1177/13524585231162586
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