Ocrelizumab

Ocrelizumab, sold under the brand name Ocrevus, is a medication used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. It is a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. It targets CD20 marker on B lymphocytes and is an immunosuppressive drug. Ocrelizumab binds to an epitope that overlaps with the epitope to which rituximab binds. It is administered by intravenous infusion. The fixed-dose combination ocrelizumab/hyaluronidase is administered by subcutaneous injection. It was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2017, and the first FDA approved drug for the primary progressive form of multiple sclerosis; it was discovered and developed and is marketed by Hoffmann–La Roche's subsidiary Genentech. With the approval, the FDA also required the company to conduct several phase IV clinical trials to better understand whether the medication is safe and effective in young people, cancer risks, and effects on pregnant women and children they might bear. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it to be a first-in-class medication.