Ocrevus

[Yooper]

I am going to be starting Ocrevus in a couple of weeks. Too much generic information on it. Is it a type of chemo? How are you doing on it?

[WAshingtongirl]

We have a few people here on Ocrevus and others about to start. I'm sure they will answer your questions. You can also search through recent past posts and find some info there.

Welcome, Yooper . If you have MS or love someone who does, this is a great place to meet new friends. We hope you'll tell us more about yourself so we can better get to know you. 💕

[erash]

Yooper ocrevus is a monoclonal antibody that targets B cells and protects against myelin damage. It's similar to Rituxan that has been used for MS and cancer but is not a typical chemotherapeutic drug.

Best of luck!

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to erash]

Hmm 😒 is there any way to simplify that for me?😐 Cause we ALLLL know I'm an idiot.😄😅😅😅

J 🌠

[Raingrrl in reply to Jesmcd2]

@jesmcd2.... You always make me smile with your posts.

[dianekjs]

Hi, like erash explained, Ocrevus is what's known as a B-cell depleting therapy, very similar to Rituxan. B cells make up an important part of the immune system but in MS and some other autoimmune diseases they have become confused and attack your own healthy tissue such as myelin instead of just foreign invaders. Ocrevus selectively targets a receptor on the B cells known as CD20 and destroys them, while leaving certain parts of the cells unharmed. B-cell depleting therapy has been used for years to treat certain cancers, mostly blood cancers such as lymphoma. It has also been used to treat connective tissue diseases.

I just had my first dose a week ago so it's too soon to gauge effect, but I did a post you can search for about my infusion experience. I have the second dose a week from today. Ocrevus trial results were impressive for slowing/stopping progression. Best of luck to you, I hope you have a good response to the treatment. Are you RRMS or PPMS?

[Yooper]

Thanks for all your replies. I did Novantrone years ago. It seemed to stop my progression. Now I am going to try Ocrevus.

[Hidden in reply to Yooper]

Good luck

[bxrmom]

Good luck!!

Jessie

[Kenbloom]

The clinical trial results aren't great (29% showed no progression) and the trials were stacked with younger less disabled participants. There was also a higher rate of cancer for those taking the drug versus placebo. However there is nothing else for PPMS so despite the issues I too will be starting it in a few weeks. Good luck.

[shortyPPMS]

Yooper why didn't you ask your neurologist?

[Yooper in reply to shortyPPMS]

I wish I had asked more at the time. She told me what it was and how it works. By that time my mind was frazzled.

[shortyPPMS in reply to Yooper]

Just remember mate, they are working for you the same as a mechanic who works on your car. Your brain is much more important than your car so don't be shy about quizzing them until they've answered all your questions. Have a good one.