Dive Brief:
- An analysis of five-year data from two Phase 3 studies found earlier treatment with Roche's Ocrevus led to better disability progression outcomes for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS), compared to those who later switched from interferon beta-1α.
- In the open-label extension phases of Roche's OPERA I and OPERA II trials, RMS patients who received Ocrevus continuously over all five years experienced less whole brain, white matter and cortical gray matter tissue loss than those who started on interferon beta-1α and then switched to Ocrevus two years later.
- Patients with the less-common form of primary progressive MS also saw a benefit to earlier treatment with Ocrevus versus those who switched over from placebo in the ORATORIO study, Roche said Wednesday. The data from the three studies was presented at the 34th Congress of the European Committee for the Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS).
Dive Insight:
Roche's Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) hit the market in March 2017 with high expectations as the first drug to be approved for both relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. The Swiss pharma also surprised analysts with a list price that, at $65,000 per year, checks in about a fifth lower than the list price of some rival therapies.
So far, Ocrevus has enjoyed widespread commercial success, helping Roche to weather faltering growth from other top drugs in its portfolio. Global Ocrevus sales reached about $1 billion over the first six months of 2018, growing sharply compared to the same period in 2017.
At a pipeline event last month, Roche said Ocrevus has already claimed a leading position in the MS market in winning new and switch prescriptions, with a 32% market share in the first quarter. Overall, the drug has claimed a 10% share of all prescriptions.
Continued fast growth from Ocrevus will be important as biosimilar competition begins to eat into sales for Roches best-selling drugs Avastin (bevacizumab), Rituxan (rituximab) and Herceptin (trastuzumab).
Data like that presented by Roche Wednesday is another piece of evidence to support the company's efforts to win new prescriptions.
"The data also suggest that Ocrevus rapidly suppressed relapse and MRI disease activity in people with relapsing MS who switched from interferon beta-1α, and additionally, that earlier treatment with Ocrevus reduced disability progression and brain atrophy," said Stephen Hauser, chair of the scientific steering committee of the OPERA studies and a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, in a statement released by Roche.
The results, however, are from open-label extension studies or, in the case of ORATORIO, a post-hoc analysis. IN addition, interferon beta-1α, which is sold under several brand names, is an older drug compared to other disease-modifying treatments that have since come to market.