Roche’s new MS therapy yields promising sales

Roche’s multiple sclerosis therapy Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) entered the US market in 2017, and sales are already up 238% in the first nine months of this year. There has been strong uptake in both relapsing-remitting and primary progressive forms of MS in the US, which still accounts for more than 90% of the drug’s sales. HER2 breast cancer therapy Perjeta (pertuzumab) and lung cancer therapy Alecensa (alectinib) have performed well, and there has been strong early uptake of new haemophilia A therapy Hemlibra (emicizumab) for patients with inhibitors and has just won approval for the much larger non-inhibitor patient population.
Sales of immunology drug MabThera (rituximab) have fallen 48% in Europe and 9% across all markets. Breast cancer therapy Herceptin (trastuzumab) sales fell 10% in Europe, but grew 2% to overall to maintain its status as Roche’s top-selling drug, mirroring sales of cancer therapy Avastin (bevacizumab) which also grew 2% overall. Falling sales are attributed to biosimilar competition.