Teva and Polpharma Ink Global Deal for an Ocrevus Biosimilar in Multiple Sclerosis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Polpharma Biologics announced a global licensing agreement on July 9, 2026 that could eventually bring a lower-cost alternative to Ocrevus, one of the most widely used treatments for multiple sclerosis, to patients in multiple countries.

Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is a B-cell-depleting infusion therapy approved for both relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis and primary progressive MS, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the protective coating around nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. Ocrevus works by targeting and depleting B cells, a type of immune cell thought to play a central role in driving MS-related nerve damage.

Under the new agreement, Teva gains exclusive rights to commercialize Polpharma Biologics' proposed biosimilar version of ocrelizumab, pending regulatory approval, in a list of markets that includes the United States, Europe, Brazil, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and Turkey. The deal covers both the intravenous formulation currently used for Ocrevus and a subcutaneous, under-the-skin version, which could offer patients a faster, less resource-intensive way to receive treatment compared with the hours-long infusions Ocrevus currently requires.

A biosimilar is a biologic medicine designed to be highly similar to an already-approved reference drug, with no clinically meaningful differences in safety or effectiveness, but developed by a different manufacturer once the original drug's exclusivity protections allow for competition. Biosimilars generally launch at a lower price than the original product, and their entry into a market has historically driven down costs for both original and biosimilar versions of a given drug over time.

For MS patients, the practical impact of this announcement is still a few steps away. Polpharma's ocrelizumab biosimilar has not yet received regulatory approval anywhere, and Teva will be responsible for handling regulatory submissions and eventual commercialization if and when approval comes through. Still, deals like this one signal that the biosimilar pipeline for major MS therapies is advancing, following a broader trend across autoimmune and inflammatory disease treatment in which biosimilars for expensive biologic drugs have gradually expanded access and reduced costs after their originators lose exclusivity.

Ocrevus has been one of Roche's best-selling drugs since its original approval, reflecting how central B-cell depletion has become to modern MS treatment. Increased competition from biosimilars, once available, would give prescribers and health systems more options for managing the cost of long-term MS care, though patients should not expect any near-term changes to their current treatment as a result of this announcement alone.