“Hopeful times” anticipated by leading MS advocate upon approval of MS treatment

The European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Aubagio 14 mg (teriflunomide), an oral therapy recommended for the treatment of patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), Genzyme has announced in a press release.

“Approvals like this one demonstrate the great progress being made towards introducing more differentiated treatment options that address important unmet needs”, said EMSP President John Golding. “This is a hopeful time for people with MS”.

In describing Aubagio 14 mg, Professor Ludwig Kappos, Chair of Neurology for the University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland explained it is “a once-daily, oral treatment option with well-characterized safety and tolerability and could be an attractive option for patients dissatisfied with traditional injectable therapies”.

The EU approval of Aubagio was based on data from the Phase III TEMSO (TEriflunomide Multiple Sclerosis Oral) and TOWER (Teriflunomide Oral in people With relapsing remitting multiplE scleRosis) trials. In these trials, Aubagio significantly reduced the annualized relapse rate and the time to disability progression at two years versus placebo, according to Genzyme.