Multiple Sclerosis or MS is a neurological disorder that often leads to debilitating effects to the body. Up to date, there is still no known information of its exact cause and treatment options are still vague and unproven. However, a pharmaceutical company announced on Monday that they might have discovered a drug that can delay the progression of the debilitating disease.
Roche Holding AG, a pharmaceutical giant and manufacturer of the famous Tamiflu, is currently developing a special drug intended for MS patients. Ocrelizumab might be a multi-billion drug following its efficacy against a hard-to-treat type of multiple sclerosis, Reuters reports.
It is the first drug to ever slow the progression or development of the most common form of MS called relapsing-remitting MS and another form called primary progressive MS. It is in the form of an injectable that contains antibodies that showed favorable results.
People with relapse-remitting MS experience symptoms of MS and would go to remission. They are often diagnosed in their 20s or 30s. They might feel normal for years as the disease develops while for those who have primary progressive MS, they are diagnosed when they are older and would manifest a rapid progression of the disease, IB Times reports.
According to Tim Race from Deutsche Bank as reported by Reuters, this development of a new drug against MS could generate annual sales of about $5 billion. Thus, the pharmaceutical giant is planning to apply for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration early next year so they could manufacture the drug in the market a year after it will be approved.
Their findings were from the pivotal Phase UU study of the drug. They found out that it significantly decreased or slowed the progression of disability on MS patient. Subsequently, it was maintained for at least 12 weeks.
At present, the company is still mum on how much each pill would cost. They are still planning to perform further tests to provide the market with more tangible results of its effectiveness on MS progression.