A team of researchers in St Louis have made a major breakthrough by developing a new drug that will tackle the most progression of Multiple Sclerosis.
The new breakthrough drug called Ocrevus which has been FDA approved will apparently prolong the life of those suffering with the illness by eliminating the white blood cells that attack the brain.
Scientists say the revolutionary treatment will actively slow the disease by attacking the number of white blood cells that can course from the bloodstream into the brain, which in turn reduces the inflammation in the myelin covering of nerve cells and therefore reduces the damage to the myelin sheath and to the underlying nerve fiber, which are known to be key contributors in the rapid progeesion of the condition.
Speaking about the success of the drug, Dr Barry Singer who was a key contributor during clinical trials said: “The drug was a major breakthrough for the treatment of MS.”
Singer and his colleagues also revealed that he and his colleagues tested Ocrevus, and found the drug slowed the progression of the most common form of MS.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Singer explained: “For primary progressive patients, now we have a new option for you to change the disease course.”
“It’s been exciting to see people in the clinical trials and now it will be available to our patients. Even today, we’ve been writing scripts because there’s some patients desperately waiting for this new treatment to become available.”
Singer finalised by saying that he and his colleagues believe that this latest breakthrough could provide a future platform were the illness is cured once and for all.