Hideki Garren, MD, PhD: The ORATORIO-HAND Trial in PPMS

“In PPMS, the preservation of upper extremity function is very important, especially as patients advance.”

At the 34th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Berlin, Germany, data from the ORATORIO trial of ocrelizumab (Ocrevus, Genentech) in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) was presented. Those data included an assessment of upper limb function as measured by the 9-hole peg test.

Ultimately, ocrelizumab showed promising results in helping patients maintain this function. This is an important finding for these patients, as those with advanced disease often have impairments in the function of their lower body, making upper extremity function ever more important.

Now, another phase III trial, the first of its kind, called ORATORIO-HAND, will be exploring this exact measure of upper extremity function in more advanced patients with PPMS. It is set to begin in the first half of 2019, and will seek to enroll 1000 patients with Expanded Disability Status Scale scores between 3 and 8.

To find out more about the upcoming trial, Hideki Garren, MD, PhD, the Global Head of Neuroimmunology at Genentech, sat with NeurologyLive to discuss it while on site at ECTRIMS 2018.