March 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Tuesday approved a new drug to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, or MS, and primary progressive multiple sclerosis, or PPMS, in adult patients.
The drug Ocrevus is the first drug approved by the FDA to treat primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a type of MS characterized by a steadily worsening function from the onset of symptoms without early relapse or remission.
MS is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that interrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body and is the most common cause of neurological disability in young adults. The first onset of MS symptoms typically occurs between the ages of 20 and 40.
Approximately 15 percent of patients with MS have PPMS, according to estimates by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the new drug is the first approved by the FDA to treat the severe form of the condition.
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"Multiple sclerosis can have a profound impact on a person's life," Dr. Billy Dunn, director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a press release. "This therapy not only provides another treatment option for those with relapsing MS, but for the first time provides an approved therapy for those with primary progressive MS."
Ocrevus has been shown to be effective for the treatment of relapsing forms of MS in two clinical trials of 1,656 participants over a 96-week period.
The trials compared Ocrevus to the MS drug Rebif, showing patients taking Ocrevus had reduced relapse rates and less worsening of symptoms compared to Rebif.
Ocrevus showed a slower progression in the worsening of disability in a trial of 732 patients with PPMS over a 120-week period compared to placebo.
