Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) / Roche, Biogen - LARVOL DELTA

A Complex Case of Disseminated Mycobacterium Kansasii, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, and Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia in a Patient With Multiple Sclerosis on Ocrelizumab Therapy (ATS 2025) - "Mycobacterium kansasii was eventually cultured, and she was treated with azithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampin. Concurrently, dexamethasone and anakinra were administered for Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS)-HLH, leading to clinical improvement...The overlap of symptoms and the presence of multiple severe diagnoses (dNTM, HLH, and CML) required careful coordination and discussions among specialists to optimize patient outcomes. This case underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in managing complex presentations in immunocompromised patients."

Clinical • Cardiovascular • Chronic Myeloid Leukemia • CNS Disorders • Fibrosis • Heart Failure • Hematological Disorders • Hematological Malignancies • Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Leukemia • Multiple Sclerosis • Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Disease • Oncology • Pain • Rare Diseases • Respiratory Diseases • Thrombocytosis • Tuberculosis • IL2RA

Ocrelizumab-induced Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia in a Patient With Multiple Sclerosis (ATS 2025) - "Prior outpatient treatments included pseudoephedrine, benzonatate, inhaled albuterol, doxycycline, cefdinir, and prednisone, all without relief of symptoms. Our case represents an additional instance of organizing pneumonia induced by anti-CD20 agents. As our patient developed symptoms at 3.5 years after initiation, it provides additional data regarding the timing of organizing pneumonia presentation with anti-CD20 agents."

Clinical • CNS Disorders • Infectious Disease • Interstitial Lung Disease • Migraine • Multiple Sclerosis • Pain • Pneumonia • Pulmonary Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Organizing Pneumonia Associated With Ocrelizumab; An Uncharted Entity of Lung Disease (ATS 2025) - "She was treated with prednisone and azithromycin, leading to significant improvement in exercise tolerance, spirometry, and normalization of FVC, with no need for supplemental oxygen...Two responded well to steroids, while the third required azathioprine in addition to steroids, which led to resolution and discontinuation of ocrelizumab...As evident by our review, in addition to opportunistic lower respiratory tract infections, clinicians should also entertain OP as a differential diagnosis in patients with recurrent pneumonia-like symptoms unresponsive to routine anti-microbial therapy while on ocrelizumab. Low index of suspicion for OP can lead to misdiagnosis and if untreated, parenchymal lung disease with permanent respiratory impairment and ventilatory failure."

Cardiovascular • CNS Disorders • Cough • Hematological Disorders • Infectious Disease • Interstitial Lung Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Oncology • Pneumonia • Pulmonary Disease • Pulmonary Embolism • Respiratory Diseases • Rheumatology • Vasculitis

Severe Persistent COVID in Setting of Ocrelizumab-Induced Hypogammaglobulinemia (ATS 2025) - "She was treated with cefdinir and Molnupiravir; however, symptoms continued and she was readmitted 2 weeks later with persistent CT findings,acute pulmonary embolus (PE), and new 3 L/min oxygen requirement. Further research is required to establish standards related to monitoring and treatment of ocrelizumab-induced hypogammaglobulinemia. Providers should consider testing for and treating hypogammaglobulinemia in patients on ocrelizumab who develop severe respiratory infections."

CNS Disorders • Cough • Inflammation • Multiple Sclerosis • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Pneumonia • Pulmonary Embolism • Respiratory Diseases

Rare Adverse Event: Ocrelizumab-induced Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia (COP) in a Patient With Multiple Sclerosis - A Case Analysis (ATS 2025) - "New monoclonal antibodies for MS show significant improvement and limit progression. However, with reported cases of COP from Ocrelizumab, close monitoring for complications is required."

Adverse events • Clinical • CNS Disorders • Cough • Hematological Disorders • Hodgkin Lymphoma • Infectious Disease • Interstitial Lung Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Pain • Pneumonia • Pulmonary Disease • Respiratory Diseases • Septic Shock • CD20

Outcomes in Persistent COVID-19 Pneumonia in Patients Receiving Anti-CD20 Therapy: A Potential Role for IVIG Therapy (ATS 2025) - "This abstract is funded by: None Rationale: Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has caused unprecedented challenges in treating immunocompromised patients, particularly those receiving anti-CD20-based B cell depleting therapies (e.g., rituximab, ocrelizumab) for conditions like B cell hematologic malignancies, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis. We describe a large cohort of patients on anti-CD20 therapy with persistent Covid19 pneumonia. A substantial fraction of this cohort cleared their nasopharynx but had persistent lower respiratory tract infections that required BAL testing to achieve a diagnosis. B cell depletion decreases humoral immune responses to primary antigens and reduces memory B cells leading to a decrease in antibody production to recall antigens."

Clinical • CNS Disorders • Hematological Disorders • Hematological Malignancies • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Inflammatory Arthritis • Multiple Sclerosis • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Oncology • Pneumonia • Respiratory Diseases • Rheumatoid Arthritis • Rheumatology • Vasculitis

A Unique Case of Ureaplasma Parvum Causing Disseminated Infection and Hyperammonemia in an Immunocompetent Patient (ATS 2025) - "A 48-year-old female with borderline personality disorder, multiple sclerosis, methamphetamine use, and type two diabetes presented with osteomyelitis of the left temporomandibular joint. She was started on ampicillin-sulbactam and subsequently developed septic arthritis of the right elbow, cellulitis of the left forearm, and a loculated left pleural effusion...Her antibiotics were switched to doxycycline and her fever and white blood cell count improved...While she had multiple sclerosis, she had not received ocrelizumab in over 6 months prior to onset of her symptoms. This case emphasizes the limitations of our standard cultures and the importance of listening to the history."

Clinical • Borderline Personality Disorder • CNS Disorders • Dermatology • Diabetes • Epilepsy • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Inflammation • Metabolic Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis • Personality Disorder • Respiratory Diseases • Rheumatology

When Immunotherapy Meets Infection: A Case of Ocrelizumab-induced Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia (ATS 2025) - "Management and Outcome: The patient received a 21-day course of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and intravenous immunoglobulin, along with corticosteroids to manage respiratory distress. While ocrelizumab is effective for MS management, it poses a risk of PJP. This case highlights the importance of proactive strategies in monitoring and managing infections in patients receiving B-cell depleting therapies. Further research is needed to establish guidelines for prophylaxis in at-risk populations."

Clinical • CNS Disorders • Cough • Infectious Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Pneumonia

Case Report: Neurofilament light chain in the follow up of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in a patient with multiple sclerosis treated with ocrelizumab. (PubMed, Front Pharmacol) - " Serum neurofilament light chain (sNFL) levels were elevated at the diagnosis and progressively increased over his follow-up. Our results suggest that the monitoring of sNFL levels may be useful for the early diagnosis of PML in patients with MS."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis • Rare Diseases • NEFL

IDP-023 g-NK Cells Plus Ocrelizumab in Patients With Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1 | N=34 | Suspended | Sponsor: Indapta Therapeutics, INC. | Initiation date: Jan 2025 ➔ Jun 2026 | Recruiting ➔ Suspended

Trial initiation date • Trial suspension • CNS Disorders • Immunology • Multiple Sclerosis

Cost-effectiveness of ofatumumab for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis in the United Arab Emirates. (PubMed, Ther Adv Neurol Disord) - "Base-case results indicated that ofatumumab was dominant over ocrelizumab, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, and natalizumab intravenous; was more cost-effective compared with teriflunomide, fingolimod (generic), glatiramer acetate, interferons, and best supportive care; and resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of AED 713,068 per QALY versus cladribine. Sensitivity analyses were in line with the results of the base-case analysis. From the UAE payer's perspective, ofatumumab could be a cost-effective treatment alternative for patients with RMS."

HEOR • Journal • CNS Disorders • Immunology • Inflammation • Multiple Sclerosis

National and State Population-Level Estimated Economic Impact of Ocrelizumab on Cumulative Disabilities Avoided and Work Productivity Under Different Access Scenarios in the United States (ISPOR 2025) - "Improving early access to ocrelizumab may offer significant value to pwMS and substantial socioeconomic benefits on national and local levels but relies on policy implementation that enhances access and earlier treatment."

Clinical • HEOR • CNS Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis • Psychiatry

Assessment of Real-World Adverse Events Associated with Ozanimod in Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) (ISPOR 2025) - "AE reports and patient outcomes were extracted for all instances where DMTs (ozanimod, dimethyl fumarate, monomethyl fumarate, diroximel fumarate, fingolimod, ponesimod, siponimod, teriflunomide, cladribine, alemtuzumab, natalizumab, ocrelizumab, ublituximab, and ofatumumab) were the 'primary suspect' for the AE... Based on this descriptive analysis of the FAERS data, ozanimod has a lower proportion of AEs linked to serious outcomes than the other DMTs. Ozanimod generally had a larger share of the ten labeled AEs compared with the other DMTs; however, these labeled AEs made up a small percentage of all the AEs reported for ozanimod and the other DMTs."

Adverse events • Clinical • Real-world • Real-world evidence • Back Pain • Cardiovascular • CNS Disorders • Hypertension • Hypotension • Infectious Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Musculoskeletal Pain • Pain • Respiratory Diseases

The Unseen Progress: How PROs May Overlook the Value of Slowing Degenerative Decline (ISPOR 2025) - "This study examines the relationship between clinical outcomes and PROs in degenerative diseases, focusing on patient perceptions of treatments that slow progression. The pivotal trials of recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments for degenerative diseases were analyzed; these included nintedanib for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), tofersen for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), ocrelizumab for primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), and donanemab-azbt for Alzheimer's disease (AD). PROs may not detect the benefit of treatment for degenerative diseases. A potential explanation is misalignment in patient expectations. Future research is needed to evaluate how treatment benefits can be appropriately captured by patient experience data."

Alzheimer's Disease • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis • CNS Disorders • Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis • Immunology • Multiple Sclerosis • Pulmonary Disease • Respiratory Diseases

A case report of a concurrent axonal neuropathy and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis treated with ocrelizumab and plasma exchange. (ERA 2025) - No abstract available

Case report • Clinical • Chronic Kidney Disease • Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis • Glomerulonephritis • Pain

Severe Late-Onset Neutropenia in a Pregnant Patient with Multiple Sclerosis after Ocrelizumab. (PubMed, Case Rep Neurol) - "Late-onset neutropenia, absolute neutrophil count 4 weeks after last drug administration, is a known adverse event associated with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, including rituximab and ocrelizumab. We present the case of a 27-year-old woman who developed severe late-onset neutropenia during her third trimester of pregnancy after treatment with ocrelizumab 6 months prior. Neurologists should be aware of this risk and consider additional hematologic monitoring for pregnant patients who received anti-CD20 therapy as therapies such as G-CSF are available to help prevent serious infections."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Hematological Disorders • Infectious Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Neutropenia

Switching to ublituximab from prior anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy: a case report series. (PubMed, Front Immunol) - "These cases highlight suboptimal B-cell depletion, inadequate MS disease control, and/or tolerability concerns in people with MS who had clinical improvements or stabilization of disease following a switch from ocrelizumab or rituximab to ublituximab. Within-class switching from a prior anti-CD20 mAb therapy to ublituximab is feasible and may improve outcomes in some people with MS."

Journal • Retrospective data • CNS Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis

Subcutaneous Ocrelizumab in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: Results of the Phase 3 OCARINA II Study. (PubMed, Neurology) - P3 | "The OCR SC formulation demonstrated noninferiority to OCR IV formulation regarding drug exposure, providing comparable efficacy and safety and an additional treatment option for patients with multiple sclerosis."

Clinical • Journal • P3 data • CNS Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis • NEFL

Hypogammaglobulinemia in patients with multiple sclerosis receiving disease modifying therapies: disproportionality analysis using the EudraVigilance database. (PubMed, Expert Opin Drug Saf) - "The study highlights the importance of monitoring for the occurrence of hypogammaglobulinemia and infections in patients receiving ocrelizumab, ofatumumab and rituximab for MS. These ADRs can be extremely serious and highlight the need for ongoing research to optimize their safety profiles."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Effectiveness of Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation versus Alemtuzumab and Ocrelizumab in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: A Single Center Cohort Study. (PubMed, Ann Neurol) - "AHSCT was followed by greater prevention of relapses compared with ATZ and OCR, and suppressed more profoundly MRI activity than ATZ, but similarly to OCR, albeit with shorter follow up. The risk of accumulating disability was similar among the treated groups. Studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow up may enable confirmation of these findings or detection of any additional differential effects. ANN NEUROL 2025."

Journal • Bone Marrow Transplantation • CNS Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis • Transplantation

Serological screening and Vaccine Update in a cohort of Multiple Sclerosis Patients as a strategy to prevent infection reactivation during immunosuppressant therapy. (PubMed, Mult Scler Relat Disord) - "MS patients using immunosuppressant therapy may be susceptible to vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. The study demonstrates the feasibility of vaccine updates, and infectious diseases specialists can contribute assessing infection risks and providing individualized vaccines recommmendations."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Cytomegalovirus Infection • Hepatitis B • Hepatology • Herpes Zoster • Human Immunodeficiency Virus • Infectious Disease • Inflammation • Influenza • Measles • Meningococcal Infections • Multiple Sclerosis • Mumps • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Pertussis • Pneumococcal Infections • Respiratory Diseases • Rubella • Tetanus • Varicella Zoster

Comparison of B-cell Depletion and Natalizumab for Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis: A Semi-supervised Causal Analysis (P8-1.008). (PubMed, Neurology) - "B-cell depleting (BCD) agents (ocrelizumab, ofatumumab, rituximab) and natalizumab (NTZ) are both higher efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS)...The institution of Dr. Xia has received research support from Genentech/Roche."

Clinical • Journal • CNS Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis

Short- and long-term effects of early versus delayed treatment with ocrelizumab on cerebellar volume loss in patients with RMS and PPMS. (PubMed, Mult Scler) - "In both RMS and PPMS, early treatment with ocrelizumab helps to prevent additional cerebellar volume loss compared with delayed switching to ocrelizumab. Further analysis is needed to fully understand the clinical impact of cerebellar atrophy."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Multiple Sclerosis • IFNB1

Ocrelizumab-associated secondary hypogammaglobulinemia and sever pneumonia: Case Report (EAACI 2025) - No abstract available

Case report • Clinical • Immunology

Risk of Serious Infections in Patients Treated With Biologic or Targeted-synthetic Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in Qatar. (PubMed, Immun Inflamm Dis) - "Patients with inflammatory conditions managed with b/tsDMARDs are at significant risk of SIs, which necessitate appropriate patient selection weighing benefits and risks, as well as careful long-term management that include patient education and relevant preventive therapy."

Journal • Retrospective data • Critical care • Dermatology • Gastrointestinal Disorder • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Inflammation • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Rheumatology