Sanofi and Genzyme publish positive new Lemtrada results

Sanofi and Genzyme have published positive new data from a clinical study of Lemtrada, their developmental therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS).

The drug was recently evaluated in a phase III clinical trial called Care-MS II, which compared the safety and efficacy of the new drug to an established alternative treatment.

It was found that the Sanofi/Genzyme product was able to deliver significantly better performance in terms of relapse rates and sustained accumulation of disability, meeting both of its co-primary endpoints.

Data from this trial will be used to support Lemtrada's application for regulatory approval in both the EU and US, with submissions planned for the first quarter of 2012.

Dr David Meeker, president and chief executive officer at Genzyme, said: "We believe that Lemtrada … could make a very important contribution to the MS treatment landscape, where a significant unmet need still exists for many patients."

This comes after the companies also published data on MS products such as Aubagio at the joint triennial congress of the European and Americas Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.