A video published by the New England Journal of Medicine explains findings from the OVERLORD-MS trial, which tested rituximab against ocrelizumab in people newly diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) posted the trial summary on X, featuring a video produced in partnership with Dr Glaucomflecken — a medic known for explaining complex clinical research in plain terms. The trial, called OVERLORD-MS, is a head-to-head study comparing two drugs used to treat relapsing MS (multiple sclerosis, a condition in which the immune system attacks the protective coating around nerve fibres), and NEJM has made the full results freely available.
Both rituximab and ocrelizumab work by targeting a protein on certain immune cells called B cells, reducing the attacks that damage the nervous system in relapsing MS. Head-to-head trials of this kind — where two active treatments go directly up against each other rather than against a placebo — are relatively uncommon in MS research, which makes the OVERLORD-MS findings of particular interest to neurologists and patients alike.
MS affects around 130,000 people in the UK, according to the NHS. Relapsing MS, the most common form, involves episodes of new or worsening symptoms followed by periods of partial or full recovery.
If you have MS or are concerned about neurological symptoms, speak to your GP in the first instance. For urgent medical concerns, call NHS 111.
Source: @NEJM
New MS Drug Trial Compares Two Treatments Head to Head Quiz
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