Roche Holding AG said a high-dose version of Ocrevus, its best-selling multiple sclerosis drug, failed to outperform the original in a large study, potentially reducing the drugmaker’s ability to fend off cheaper copies.
Doubling or tripling the dose over 120 weeks of treatment didn’t slow progression of the disease any more than the current version of the drug, Roche said on Wednesday. The findings affirm that the existing dose is optimal, said Levi Garraway, Roche’s chief medical officer.
The results are a blow to the company’s strategy for extending the profitable life of the MS drug, which analysts anticipate ...