SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (dpa-AFX) - Roche (RHHBY) said that blood neurofilament light chain or NfL levels were lowered to a healthy donor range in relapsing multiple sclerosis or RMS and primary progressive multiple sclerosis patients, following OCREVUS treatment.
Neurofilament light chain is a protein that provides structural support to nerve fibres in the brain. An increase in the amount of NfL may be associated with nerve cell damage, and detection of increased NfL levels in blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may serve as a biomarker of nerve cell damage.
In the Phase III OPERA I study in RMS and the ORATORIO study in PPMS, blood NfL levels were significantly lower after treatment with OCREVUS. In RMS, blood serum NfL levels were reduced by 43 percent from baseline to 96 weeks after OCREVUS treatment compared with a 31 percent reduction with interferon beta-1a (p<0.001).
In PPMS, blood plasma NfL levels were reduced by 16 percent from baseline to 96 weeks after OCREVUS treatment compared with 0.2 percent reduction with placebo (p<0.001).
In addition, these analyses showed higher blood NfL levels at the start of the study were correlated with more disability progression in upper and lower limbs in PPMS and overall disability in the interferon beta-1a RMS treatment group at 96 weeks.
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