Novartis acquires drug to develop treatment for MS

Novartis has acquired all remaining rights to GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Ofatumumab

Novartis previously acquired the rights to Ofatumumab for oncology indications and it is marketed under the brand name Arzerra. It will now use the rights it has acquired from GSK to develop treatments for MS and other autoimmune indictations too.

Ofatumumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody which targets CD20, is being developed for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and other autoimmune indications.

RRMS is thought to be associated with activation of B cells, a type of white blood cell in the immune system.

Ofatumumab works by binding to the CD20 molecule on the surface of B cells and depleting them in lymphatic tissues. 

Positive phase IIa results for subcutaneous Ofatumumab demonstrated significant reduction of up to 90% in the cumulative number of new brain lesions in patients with MS between weeks 4-12 in the study.

Since this was a dose finding trial, Ofatumumab is ready to begin phase III pivotal studies.

David Epstein, head of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, said: "Novartis is pleased to further reinforce our commitment to neuroscience and to add an exciting new treatment to our strong MS portfolio.

“Our vision for patients with MS is to develop treatments that improve on current standards of care, meeting patients' needs at every stage of their disease with innovative and targeted drugs."