Multiple Sclerosis - New Teriflunomide Treatment Finds Clinical Success

Sanofi-aventis (NYSE:SNY) recently announced clinical success with teriflunomide, the investigational drug it is developing for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). This announcement followed a 2-year clinical trial, in which teriflunomide was found to significantly improve the annualized relapse rate (ARR) of RMS in a group patients receiving the orally administered teriflunomide, when compared to a patients who were on a placebo. It was also announced that a 7mg as well as a 14mg dose of teriflunomide were well tolerated by patients.

The successful outcome of this 2 year placebo controlled trial of the investigational drug teriflunomide marks the achievement of the primary endpoint in the TEMSO phase III trial, with the successful outcome of the 2-year teriflunomide trial also being confirmed and supported by other clinical trials as well as MRI related trials.

This TEMSO trial was the first study of a clinical development program which is concerned with the use of teriflunomide as monotherapy. The full results of the TEMSO studies are expected to be released following the 26th Annual Meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Gothenburg, Sweden, which is scheduled to take place on October 15, 2010.