New drug can slow down multiple sclerosis.

A new drug can slow down multiple sclerosis(MS),the drug called called Ocrelizumab is the first drug shown to work in the primary progressive form of the disease. Multiple sclerosis is caused by a rogue immune system mistaking part of the brain for a hostile invader and attacking it. It destroys the protective coating that wraps round nerves called the myelin sheath.The sheath also acts like wire insulation to help electrical signals travel down the nerve. If these sheaths are damaged it prevents nerves from working correctly and means messages struggle to get from the brain to the body. This can lead to having difficulty walking, fatigue and also blurred vision. Ocrelizumab kills a part of the immune system called the B cells that are involved in the assault on the myelin sheath. The study published in New England Journal of Medicine, accessed 732 patients with progressive MS, the percentage of patients that had deteriorated fell from 39% without treatment to 33% with ocrelizumab .Patients taking the drug also scored better on the time needed to walk 25 feet and had less brain loss detected on scans.