In January 2018, a new drug was registered in Europe - definilumumab, which gives a chance to increase the individualization of therapy for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. It is also the first ever drug that can be successfully used in the primary progressive form of MS.
It is a breakthrough therapy, because it can be used both in the form of relapsing and primary progressive MS. It is a drug with a high level of effectiveness and a favorable safety profile. In addition, it is administered only twice a year, which affects the patient's comfort.
Okrelizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody with an mechanism of action unprecedented in the treatment of MS. It affects CD20-positive B-lymphocytes, i.e. a particular type of immune system cells that have a key role in the destruction of the myelin sheath - insulating and strengthening nerve cells and axons - of nerve cells, which can cause disability in patients with MS. If the drug was included in the reimbursement, it could help patients who were ineffective with other treatments or, as in the case of the primary progressive MS, there was no treatment at all -says dr hab. n. med. Monika Adamczyk-Sowa.