The Saskatchewan government has added another drug to the provincial formulary for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Ocrevus is the 13th option added for patients with relapsing remitting MS, the most common form of the condition, health officials said Wednesday in a release.
It is also the first medication approved to treat early primary progressive MS, they added.
“Our government is committed to providing Saskatchewan residents with better access to innovative new treatment options,” Health Minister Jim Reiter said.
“Ocrevus will be the first drug treatment option approved for the primary progressive form of multiple sclerosis. It offers a treatment option that may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis and improve patients’ quality of life.”
The province said Ocrevus is the first medication offered that can be used to treat both primary progressive and relapsing remitting MS.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system, leading to a progressive loss of motor skills.
An estimated 3,700 people in Saskatchewan live with MS.
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