PARIS (AP) - French drugmaker Sanofi says its multiple sclerosis drug candidate teriflunomide did not achieve one of its goals in a late-stage clinical trial.
Sanofi said teriflunomide, also known by the trade name Aubagio, worked no better than an older drug, Rebif, in preventing relapses, as the study found “no statistical superiority” between Rebif and either 7 mg or 14 mg doses of teriflunomide.
Shares of Sanofi fell 0.1 percent to euro53.62 ($69.92) in afternoon trading.
Sanofi’s Genzyme unit enrolled 324 patients with relapsing forms of MS in a two-year study.
Rebif is an older drug marketed by Merck KGaA of Germany.
The study was the second of five planned efficacy studies of teriflunomide in MS. Genzyme expects to file an application for marketing approval in the European Union in the first quarter of 2012.
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