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Ocrelizumab Concentration May Aid in SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Timing for Patients With MS
Serum ocrelizumab concentration measured at the time of vaccination predicted humoral response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), with an accuracy comparable to B-cell count. Researchers published their study findings online ahead of print in the Annals of Neurology.
“In previous work, two markers for predicting humoral responses in ocrelizumab-treated patients with MS were identified; higher B-cell counts at the time of vaccination and longer time between last ocrelizumab infusion and vaccination,” researchers explained. “However, as peripheral B-cells are still fully depleted in the majority of patients with MS on ocrelizumab at the moment of redosing, this is an unsuitable biomarker for timing vaccinations.”
Researchers investigated whether concentration of ocrelizumab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody approved for MS treatment, could aid in predicting humoral response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in 52 patients with MS using ocrelizumab.
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According to the results, ocrelizumab concentration at vaccination proved a good predictor for SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G anti-receptor binding domain titers afterward. The diagnostic accuracy of the biomarker was equal to that through B-cell count.
Additionally, the costs of assessing ocrelizumab concentration through an ELISA assay are substantially lower than those of quantitative B-cell measurement by flow cytometry, researchers noted.
“In conclusion,” researchers advised, “ocrelizumab concentration is a biomarker that, although equal to the B-cell count in diagnostic accuracy, might be preferred for the prediction of a humoral response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in ocrelizumab-treated patients with MS as it could lead to a more reliable prediction of the optimal timing of vaccination.”
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