An experimental MS pill cut relapses by 55% — and calmed the slow burn inside the brain

Multiple sclerosis grinds people down two ways: sudden relapses, and a slow, smouldering inflammation inside the brain that steadily steals function. Roche's experimental once-daily pill fenebrutinib aimed at both — and in late-stage trials presented in Toronto, pooled data showed a 55% lower annual relapse rate than the standard comparator over 96 weeks, up to 30% less growth of the slowly expanding lesions that mark chronic inflammation, and 75% of relapsing-MS patients free of any disease activity after nearly two years. The drug is not yet approved, and regulators will weigh the full safety picture — but it is the first oral candidate to show this breadth of control in both relapsing and primary progressive MS.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation