Thousands of people with multiple sclerosis in England could benefit from a 10-minute injection, cutting the time they spend in hospital by more than 90%.
Currently, patients taking the drug ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) require an intravenous infusion twice a year, which can take four or five hours or longer to administer while they are in the hospital.
Patients can now receive the same medicine twice a year via a 10-minute injection on the NHS, after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency gave the green light for the rollout.
The NHS would be one of the first healthcare systems in the world to offer the new jab, with jabs expected to be available within weeks, NHS England said.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s chief medical officer, said: “This new injection will dramatically reduce the time it takes for people with multiple sclerosis to receive regular treatment. It will mean thousands of patients will spend less time in hospital, giving doctors more time to see more patients and more capacity on wards.
“Ocrelizumab has represented a huge advance in care in recent years as the first medicine that can change the course of the disease, and we hope this innovative and faster option will now make another significant difference in improving patients’ quality of life and help thousands avoid longer hospital stays for treatment.”
The drug works by targeting a type of immune cell called a B cell. This helps to reduce the body’s immune response by preventing these cells from attacking and damaging myelin. Myelin is an insulating layer that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord, and which becomes damaged in people with MS.
About 9,000 patients in England receive ocrelizumab through an infusion to treat their active relapsing or primary progressive MS.
Clinical studies have shown that the injection is as effective as intravenous treatment: in 97% of patients, no relapse of the disease and no brain damage occurred after almost a year.
Nin Sambhi, 39, from Staffordshire, was diagnosed with relapsing MS in 2022 and is currently receiving ocrelizumab through an IV.
“It’s great to hear that this new ocrelizumab injection has been approved,” she said. “Ocrelizumab is working well for me now and gives me hope for a better and healthier future, but it would be much more convenient for me to be able to get an injection.
after newsletter promotion
“At the moment it takes about four or five hours to get my infusion and the logistics can be very tricky – I have two children under 10 so arranging childcare can be a challenge. This new treatment would mean I spend significantly less time in hospital and more time with my family.”
Ocrelizumab, made by Roche, was first approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2018, followed by further approval for primary progression multiple sclerosis in 2019.
Ceri Smith, head of policy at the MS Society, welcomed the jab, which is administered in hospital, adding: “More than 150,000 people in the UK are living with MS and many of them rely on disease-modifying treatments such as ocrelizumab to help reduce MS relapses.
“This method will increase the choice for many MS patients and will mean more people can receive this treatment in a way that suits them.”