Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Third Vaccine Immune Response in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with Ocrelizumab.

The introduction of a third-dose vaccination along with new variants of concern raises questions regarding serology and T-cell responses in patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) treated with B-cell depletion who develop attenuated humoral response to vaccines. The aim of this study was to longitudinally evaluate humoral and cellular response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine in ocrelizumab-treated pwMS before and following a third vaccine dose. Following the third vaccine dose, patients who are low or nonresponders following initial vaccination did not increase antibody titers. In healthy controls and ocrelizumab-treated pwMS, cellular response decreased 6 months after initial vaccination and increased significantly after the third dose. ANN NEUROL 2022;91:796-800.

Effect of cladribine on COVID-19 serology responses following two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are treated with immunomodulatory treatments that can influence their ability to develop a protective antibody response to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Vaccine efficacy is important for treatment decision and for patients' reassurance. The main objective is to assess antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in MS patients treated with cladribine. METHODS: Serology response was tested in 97 participants, 67 MS patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs), using two independent methods, 2-3 weeks following the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. RESULTS: HCs (n = 30) and MS patients treated with cladribine (n = 32) had 100% positive serology response against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein following the second vaccine dose (mean S1/S2-IgG and RBD-IgG:284.5 ± 104.9, 13,041±9411 AU/mL and 226.3 ± 121.4, 10,554±11,405 AU/mL respectively). Comparable findings were observed for untreated MS patients, and interferon beta-1a-treated MS patients (mean S1/S2-IgG: 282.1 ± 100.1, 276.9 ± 94.31 AU/mL respectively). No correlation was found between lymphocyte counts, treatment duration, or time between cladribine dose and vaccination, and serology response or antibody titers. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Cladribine treated MS patients are able to produce antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is reassuring and important for both patients and physicians and will allow to develop consensus guidelines.

Humoral and T-Cell Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Treated With Ocrelizumab.

Importance: B-cell-depleting therapies may affect the development of a protective immune response following vaccination. Understanding the ability to develop vaccine-specific immunity to COVID-19 in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with B-cell-depleting therapy is of importance for clinical decisions. Objective: To assess SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-specific humoral and cellular responses in patients treated with ocrelizumab compared with healthy controls. Design, Setting, and Participants: This single-center study performed at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel, included patients with MS treated with ocrelizumab, healthy controls, and untreated patients with MS. Vaccination occurred between December 2020 and April 2021. Participants donated blood 2 to 4 and 2 to 8 weeks after the second vaccine dose for antibody and T-cell assessments, respectively. Exposures: All participants received 2 doses of BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech) and completed the study. Main Outcomes and Measures: Proportion of patients treated with ocrelizumab with SARS-CoV-2-specific serology and/or T-cell responses following vaccination. All participants underwent SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing; 29 patients treated with ocrelizumab and 15 healthy controls had evaluation of SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses. Results: Of 112 participants, 49 (43.8%) had MS and were treated with ocrelizumab (33 [67.3%] female; mean [SD] age, 47.9 [13.3] years), 23 (20.5%) had MS and were not treated with disease-modifying therapies (18 [78.3%] female; mean [SD] age, 49 [13.4] years), and 40 (35.7%) were healthy controls (25 [62.5%] female; mean [SD] age, 45.3 [16] years). Twenty-six of 29 patients (89.7%) treated with ocrelizumab and 15 of 15 healthy controls (100%) had SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells following vaccination at similar levels (mean [SD], 15.4 [7.6] and 14.3 [6.3] spot-forming cells, respectively). Mean antibody titers and positive serology rate were lower in the group of patients treated with ocrelizumab (mean [SD] antibody titers and positive serology rate, 26.2 [49.2] and 376.5 [907.6] AU/mL; 10 of 40 [25%] and 20 of 49 [40.8%] for S1/S2 and receptor-binding domain, respectively) compared with healthy controls (mean [SD] antibody titers and positive serology rate, 283 [100] and 12 712 [9114] AU/mL; 100% S1/S2 and receptor-binding domain) and untreated patients (mean [SD] antibody titers and positive serology rate, 288.3 [113.8] and 10 877 [9476] AU/mL; 100% S1/S2 and receptor-binding domain), with positive association to time from ocrelizumab infusion (S1/S2: r = 0.7, P < .001; receptor-binding domain: r = 0.4, P = .04). Conclusion and Relevance: In this study, patients with MS who were treated with ocrelizumab generated comparable SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses with healthy controls and had lower antibody response following vaccination. Given the potential role of T cells in protection from severe disease, this is reassuring and will help physicians develop consensus guidelines regarding MS treatment in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.