Roche's Ocrelizumab Expected To Introduce Major Shifts In The Treatment Paradigm For Multiple Sclerosis

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- There is high anticipation for Roche's ocrelizumab, a monoclonal antibody that was granted "Breakthrough Therapy Designation" by the FDA earlier this year for its potential indication in treating primary progressive MS (PPMS).  An approval is expected by year end and more than one-third of our survey respondents intend to prescribe the product as soon as it becomes available.

Although uptake is expected to be most pronounced in PPMS, ocrelizumab may also find a role in the RRMS space primarily challenging other infused agents such as Biogen's Tysabri and Sanofi/Genzyme's Lemtrada.  In addition, much of the off-label use of rituximab will likely shift to ocrelizumab.  Along with a high degree of discussion amongst colleagues about where ocrelizumab will fit, 15% of the respondents also report that they have already had a significant number of patient inquiries about the new agent.

The MS market is far from stagnant without ocrelizumab, however.  The continuing trend of oral disease modifying therapies (DMTs) being used earlier is reinforced again in this wave of research.  Indeed, the majority of the most recent patient starts (DMT-naïve patients) were for oral agents, with Biogen's Tecfidera garnering almost half.  However, safety concerns with Tecfidera and Novartis' Gilenya may be opening the door for Sanofi-Genzyme's Aubagio.  Among neurologists reporting decreased use of Gilenya and Tecfidera, more than 80% report increased use of Aubagio.

Within the platform injectables, Teva's Copaxone continues to be the share leader despite competition from Sandoz's Glatopa, the first generic DMT to enter the MS space.  Although 24% of the respondents report that their use of Copaxone decreased in the past three months, the brand is still firmly entrenched.  Although overall share projections are down for Bayer's Betaseron, the introduction of the Betaconnect auto-injector device did result in increased use of the brand for some neurologists, underscoring the importance of using innovation to differentiate in what has become a very crowded market.

RealTime Dynamix: Multiple Sclerosis is a quarterly report based on the responses of approximately 100 US neurologists who actively manage patients with MS. 

About Spherix Global Insights
Spherix Global Insights is a business intelligence and market research company specializing in renal, autoimmune, neurologic and rare disease markets.  We provide clients with strategic insights leveraged from our independent studies conducted with healthcare providers and other stakeholders.

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