Ocrevus: Side Effects, Dosage & Uses - Drugs.com

Skip to main content
Print
Save

# Ocrevus

Generic name: ocrelizumab [ OK-re-LIZ-ue-mab ]
Drug class: CD20 monoclonal antibodies

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on Nov 23, 2022.

## What is Ocrevus?

Ocrevus is a monoclonal antibody that affects the actions of the body's immune system. Monoclonal antibodies are made to target and destroy only certain cells in the body. This may help to protect healthy cells from damage.

Ocrevus is used to treat primary progressive multiple sclerosis and relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis in adults (including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease).

Ocrevus may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

## Warnings

Ocrevus may cause a brain infection that can lead to disability or death. Tell your doctor if you have problems with speech, thought, vision, or muscle movement. These symptoms can get worse quickly.

Ocrevus may cause unpleasant side effects. Some side effects may occur during the injection or up to 24 hours later. Tell your caregiver if you feel dizzy, nauseated, itchy, or have chest tightness, throat irritation, or trouble breathing,.

Ocrevus affects your immune system. You may get infections more easily, even serious or fatal infections. Call your doctor if you have a fever, chills, cough, mouth sores, skin sores or blisters, itching, tingling, burning pain, or problems with speech, thought, vision, or muscle movement.

If you've ever had hepatitis B, it may become active or get worse while you are using or after you stop using ocrelizumab. You may need frequent liver function tests for several months.

## Before taking this medicine

You should not be treated with Ocrevus if you are allergic to ocrelizumab, or if you have:

- active infection with hepatitis B.

Your doctor may perform tests to make sure you do not have hepatitis B or other infections.

You should not receive any "live" or "live-attenuated" vaccine, within the 4 weeks before you start treatment with Ocrevus. If you need a "non-live" vaccine, you should receive it at least 2 weeks before you start treatment with ocrelizumab.

Also tell your doctor if:

- you have ever had colitis or inflammatory bowel disease;

- you have any type of infection;

- you are a carrier of hepatitis B; or

- you have ever used medicine that can weaken your immune system.

Using Ocrevus may increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer. Ask your doctor about your specific risk.

It is not known whether Ocrevus will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Use effective birth control to prevent pregnancy while you are using this medicine and for at least 6 months after your last dose.

If you are pregnant, you will need to tell your baby's doctor if you used ocrelizumab during pregnancy, especially before the baby receives any childhood vaccines.

If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry to track the effects of ocrelizumab on the baby.

It may not be safe to breastfeed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risk.

Ocrevus pregnancy and breastfeeding warnings (more detail)

## How is Ocrevus given?

Ocrevus is injected into a vein through an IV. A healthcare provider will give you this injection.

Your doctor will perform blood tests to make sure you do not have conditions that would prevent you from safely using Ocrevus.

You may be given other medications to prevent certain side effects of ocrelizumab.

Your first dose will be split into 2 separate infusions. You will receive these infusions 2 weeks apart. The following doses will be given once every 6 months.

Ocrevus must be given slowly, and the infusion can take from 2.5 to 3.5 hours to complete.

You may be given other medications to help prevent serious side effects of ocrelizumab.

You will be watched closely for at least 1 hour after receiving Ocrevus, to make sure you do not have an allergic reaction to the medication.

Ocrelizumab affects your immune system. You may get infections more easily, even serious or fatal infections. You will need frequent medical tests.

If you've ever had hepatitis B, this virus may become active or get worse during treatment with ocrelizumab or in the months after you stop using this medicine. You may need frequent liver function tests while using this medicine and for several months after your last dose.

## Dosing information

Usual Adult Dose for Multiple Sclerosis:

Initial dose: 300 mg IV followed 2 weeks later by a second 300 mg IV infusion
Maintenance dose: 600 mg IV every 6 months
RECOMMENDED INFUSION RATES:
INFUSION 1: (300 mg of this drug in 250 mL 0.9% sodium chloride injection): Start at 30 mL/hr and increase by 30 mL/hr every 30 minutes to a maximum of 180 mL/hr; duration of 2.5 hours or longer
INFUSION 2 (TWO WEEKS LATER): (300 mg of this drug in 250 mL 0.9% sodium chloride injection): Start at 30 mL/hr and increase by 30 mL/hr every 30 minutes to a maximum of 180 mL/hr; duration of 2.5 hours or longer
SUBSEQUENT INFUSIONS:
-OPTION 1 (600 mg of this drug in 500 mL 0.9% sodium chloride injection): Start at 40 mL/hr and increase by 40 mL/hr every 30 minutes to a maximum of 200 mL/hr; duration of 3.5 hours or longer
OR
-OPTION 2 if no prior serious infusion reaction (600 mg of this drug in 500 mL 0.9% sodium chloride injection): Start at 100 mL/hr for the first 15 minutes and increase to 200 mL/hr for the next 15 minutes; increase to 250 mL/hr for the next 30 minutes; increase to 300 mL/hr for the remaining 60 minutes; duration of 2 hours or longer
Uses:
-For relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease
-Primary progressive MS

Detailed Ocrevus dosage information

## What happens if I miss a dose?

Call your doctor for instructions if you miss a dose of Ocrevus.

## What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

## What should I avoid while receiving Ocrevus?

Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using Ocrevus, or within 4 weeks before you start using this medicine. You could develop a serious infection. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), polio, rotavirus, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), zoster (shingles), and nasal flu (influenza) vaccine.

Do not receive a "non-live" vaccine while using Ocrevus or within 2 weeks before you start using this medicine. Non-live vaccines include hepatitis A, polio, rabies, and a yearly flu shot.

## Ocrevus side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to Ocrevus: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Ocrelizumab may cause a brain infection that can lead to disability or death. Tell your doctor if you have problems with speech, thought, vision, or muscle movement. These symptoms can get worse quickly.

Some side effects may occur during the injection or up to 24 hours later. Tell your caregiver right away if you feel dizzy, tired, nauseated, light-headed, feverish, itchy, warm and tingly, or if you have a skin rash, headache, fast heartbeats, chest tightness, pain or irritation in your throat, or trouble breathing.

Call your doctor at once if you have:

- diarrhea or more frequent bowel movements than usual, or black, tarry, sticky or bloody stools, or stomach pain or tenderness;

- fast heart beats, tiredness;

- headache, nausea, dizziness;

- itchy skin, rash, hives;

- fever, chills, cough;

- throat pain or irritation;

- wheezing, breathing problem, feeling short of breath;

- flushing (sudden warmth, redness, or tingly feeling);

- skin sores, blisters, pus, or oozing;

- cold sores or fever blisters on or around your lips;

- nerve pain (tingling, burning pain, "pins and needles" feeling);

- mood or behavior changes, confusion, memory problems;

- weakness on one side of your body; or

- problems with vision, speech, or muscle movement.

Your treatments may be delayed or permanently discontinued if you have certain side effects.

Common Ocrevus side effects may include:

- skin infections;

- reactions to an injection; or

- cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Ocrevus side effects (more detail)

## What other drugs will affect Ocrevus?

Tell your doctor about all other medicines you have recently used to treat multiple sclerosis.

Other drugs may interact with ocrelizumab, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medicine you start or stop using.

Ocrevus drug interactions (more detail)

## Where can I get more information?

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use Ocrevus only for the indication prescribed.

## Popular FAQ

Is Kesimpta better than Ocrevus?

In patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, Kesimpta (ofatumumab) is thought to be more effective than Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) in some ways, but no clinical trials have directly compared the two drugs

Ocrevus is the only one of the two drugs approved to treat primary progressive multiple sclerosis Continue reading

How much does an Ocrevus infusion cost?

Ocrevus costs $16,974 for one 300mg/10mL dose of Ocrevus intravenous solution. This price is for cash paying customers and is not valid with insurance plans. This works out to an annual cost of just over $65,000 per year; however, most people do not pay this amount. For people with commercial or private insurance the cost is around $5 per treatment; for those with Medicare, between $0 and $13,000; and for those with Medicaid, between $0 and $30. People unable to afford Ocrevus, may be able to apply for additional assistance through the Genentech Patient Foundation. Continue reading

How long does it take Ocrevus to work?

Ocrevus has some effect at reducing disability progression within about 12 weeks; however, it may take at least 6 months or possibly longer for the full effects to be seen. Continue reading

Is Ocrevus a form of chemotherapy?

Ocrevus is not chemotherapy, it is a type of targeted treatment that works by binding to a protein called CD20 that is present on the surface of B-lymphocytes. Ocrevus may be used to reduce inflammation, reduce the risk of relapse, and delay the rate of disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis.

Continue reading

How long does an Ocrevus infusion take?

The first two times you have Ocrevus it will be infused over at least 2.5 hours, depending on how you tolerate it. However, the whole infusion appointment will take around 5 to 6 hours, because there is a pre-infusion check-up, during which you will receive medications that reduce infusion reactions, and you will need to wait for at least an hour post-infusion so your healthcare team can monitor you for any side effects or infusion reactions. Continue reading

### More FAQ

- What types of MS does Ocrevus treat?
- What are the new drugs used for multiple sclerosis (MS)?

View more FAQ

## More about Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)

- Check interactions
- Compare alternatives
- Pricing & coupons
- Reviews (141)
- Drug images
- Side effects
- Dosage information
- Patient tips
- During pregnancy
- FDA approval history
- Drug class: CD20 monoclonal antibodies
- Breastfeeding
- En español

### Patient resources

- Advanced Reading

### Professional resources

- Prescribing Information

### Related treatment guides

- Multiple Sclerosis

## Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Medical Disclaimer

Copyright 1996-2023 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 9.02.