Ocrelizumab as a breakthrogh in multiple sclerosis treatment

Multiple sclerosis is the most commonly occurring inflammatory disease of the nervous system. It is estimated that over 2 million people suffer from this disease. Currently SM is untreatable, one can only try to stop the progression of the disease or reduce severity of the symptoms. There have been numerous studies on the effectiveness of other monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. A drug that offers a chance for a breakthrough in the treatment of multiple sclerosis is ocrelizumab. It is a monoclonal antibody directed against B lymphocytes expressing the CD20 antigen. Results of the studie confirm the efficacy of ocrelizumab in inhibiting ongoing nerve fiber degeneration and reducing the inflammation associated with it, as well as the near complete depletion of CD20+ B lymphocytes and partial depletion of CD20+ T lymphocytes. They also suggest that ocrelizumab is a safe and effective treatment for multiple sclerosis.Studies conducted on the therapeutic efficacy of ocrelizumab show that its effect on disease progression is superior compared to some current drugs. Ocrelizumab also has a similar safety profile to the currently used interferon β-1a. An important feature of ocrelizumab is its efficacy in the treatment of the primary progressive form of MS, where significant therapeutic efficacy with other drugs has not been seen to date.