Subcutaneous Ocrevus wins EC approval

Swiss pharma giant Roche (SIX: ROG) has announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) subcutaneous (SC) to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

Ocrevus SC is a 10-minute injection that maintains the same twice-yearly schedule as the previously approved intravenous (IV) infusion. More than 350,000 people with multiple sclerosis have been treated with Ocrevus IV globally.

Levi Garraway, Roche’s chief medical officer and head of global product development, said: “Ocrevus transformed the way multiple sclerosis is treated as the first anti-CD20 therapy approved in this disease. Now, people in the European Union with multiple sclerosis can have their medicine administered in just 10 minutes twice per year without needing an IV facility.”