NEW ORLEANS—“Ocrelizumab is the first in- vestigational treatment to reach primary and key
secondary efficacy end points in a phase III primary
progressive MS [PPMS] study,” reported Jerry S. Wolinsky, MD, Bartels Family Professor and Opal C. Rankin
Professor in Neurology at the University of Texas Health
Science Center at Houston. On behalf of his study collaborators, Dr. Wolinsky presented the results from a
subgroup analysis of the ORATORIO study at the ACTRIMS 2016 Forum.
Consistent with other PPMS study populations, OR-
ATORIO study patients included several individuals
with T1 gadolinium-enhancing lesions at baseline. “The
efficacy of ocrelizumab versus placebo in patients with
and without gadolinium–positive lesions at baseline was
consistent with what was seen in the overall study popu-
lation,” Dr. Wolinsky concluded.
Ocrelizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody
that selectively targets and depletes CD20+ B cells. In
ORATORIO, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial, ocrelizumab significantly
reduced disease activity in patients with PPMS. Further, ORATORIO was the first major clinical trial in
PPMS to achieve positive results. The main study
April 2016
Volume 24, Number 4
ORATORIO Subgroup Analysis
Looks at Baseline Enhancement
Activity’s Effect on Outcome
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An Alternative Path Toward
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