A major international study published in The Lancet has provided important new insights into one of the most pressing challenges in Multiple Sclerosis (MS): understanding and slowing disability progression.
The publication, “Efficacy and safety of a bodyweight-adjusted higher dose of ocrelizumab in relapsing (MUSETTE) and primary progressive (GAVOTTE) multiple sclerosis”, brings together leading MS researchers from around the world, including RC2NB Co-CEO Prof. Ludwig Kappos.
The two phase IIIb clinical trials evaluated whether a higher, bodyweight-adjusted dose of ocrelizumab could provide additional benefit in reducing disability progression in people living with relapsing and primary progressive MS compared with the currently approved treatment regimen.
While the higher dose resulted in deeper peripheral B-cell depletion, the studies found no additional reduction in disability progression compared with the approved 600 mg dose. Importantly, no new safety concerns were identified, further reinforcing the established benefit-risk profile of ocrelizumab in MS treatment.
Beyond the immediate clinical findings, the studies contribute to a broader scientific question that remains central to MS research: why disability continues to accumulate despite effective control of inflammatory disease activity.
The results suggest that future advances in preventing progression may require targeting mechanisms beyond peripheral inflammation, including processes occurring within the central nervous system itself. These findings help refine our understanding of disease progression and inform the next generation of therapeutic strategies for people living with MS.
At the Research Center for Clinical Neuroimmunology and Neuroscience Basel (RC2NB), understanding the biological mechanisms driving progression and developing more effective approaches to prevent long-term disability remain key research priorities. This publication represents an important contribution to the international effort to address one of the greatest unmet needs in Multiple Sclerosis.
We warmly congratulate Prof. Ludwig Kappos and all investigators, study teams, collaborators, and study participants involved in this important achievement.
Read the full publication in The Lancet:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00147-9/fulltext
