on-inferiority study of ocrelizumab and rituximab in active multiplesclerosis

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: ot Recruiting

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 600

Inclusion Criteria

Inclusion criteria for core study: • Age =18 and =65 years • MS diagnosis and definition of disease course according to the 2017 McDonald criteria • Expanded disability status scale (EDSS) =6.5 • Fulfilling criteria for active MS: o Treatment naïve RRMS patients (never treated, or no DMT the previous 3 months):=2 relapse previous 12 months OR =1 relapse previous 12 months AND =9 T2 lesions on brain and/or spinal MRI AND =1 contrast-enhancing lesion or =1 new or enlarging T2 lesion on brain and/or spinal MRI previous 12 month o Previously treated RRMS patients: =1 relapse previous 12 months OR =1 contrast-enhancing lesion or =2 new/enlarging T2 lesions on brain MRI previous 12 months o Progressive MS patients: =1 relapse previous 12 months OR =1 contrast-enhancing lesion previous 12 months or =1new/enlarging T2 lesions on brain MRI previous 12 months or =2 new or enlarging T2 lesion on brain MRI previous 24 months OR Increased levels of neurofilament light chain in serum or cerebrospinal on sample collected previous 12 months Progressive MS patients not fulfilling the clinical/MRI criteria for active disease, may qualify for inclusion in the study if sNFL or CSF NFL levels is elevated: • Signed written informed consent long-term follow-up phase of the study: Inclusion criteria for extended interval dosing sub-study though randomisation • Completed the first 24 months of the study • No signs of active disease the previous 18 months • Signed written informed consent Inclusion criteria for extended interval dosing outside the randomisation process • Completed the first 24 months of the study • Recommended by physician to switch to extended interval dosing due to Low IgG (<6,1 g/L) or Frequent infections • No signs of active disease the previous 18 months • Signed written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Pregnancy or breast feeding • Lack of effective contraception (failure rate <1%) for women of child-bearing potential • Receipt of a live or live-attenuated vaccine within 6 weeks prior to randomization • Active malignant disease in the previous 5 years • Positive test for HIV, hepatitis B or C, or tuberculosis • Negative test for varicella zoster • Lymphopenia grade 2 (0.5 to 0.8 × 109/L) or higher grades of lymphopenia (in case of switching from fingolimod, siponimod or ozanimod lymphopenia is accepted at screening visit (note that treatment with interferon-beta can induce transient lymphopenia) • Neutropenia grade 2 (1.0 to 1.5 × 109/L) or higher grades • Thrombocytopenia grade 2 (50 to 75 × 109/L) or higher grades • Previous treatment with alemtuzumab or hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation • Previous treatment with cladribine, CD20-depleting antibodies, daclizumab or other immune suppressive treatment which is judged to still exert immune suppressive effect by treating physician • Methylprednisolone treatment 4 weeks within baseline visit and baseline MRI scan • Findings on the screening MRI (for patients without MRI scan of the brain the previous 12 months the baseline MRI scan is also used as screening MRI) judged to preclude participation by the treating physician • Other diseases judged to be relevant by the treating physician • Contraindication to MRI • Known allergy or hypersensitivity to rituximab or ocrelizumab