Sanofi said on Friday that its multiple sclerosis drug candidate was shown to delay worsening of a progressive form of the disease by 31%, as the French drugmaker eyes a request for approval later this year.

Sanofi’s experimental drug for a form of multiple sclerosis delayed the progression of disability by nearly a third, providing hope for patients for whom there’s currently no treatment.

Since an initial FDA go-ahead in 2020, Sanofi’s Sarclisa has been specifically approved for patients with previously treated multiple myeloma. That changed Friday. | Since an initial FDA go-ahead in 2020,

Sanofi won approval for the use of a drug combination with its Sarclisa infusion to treat certain types of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, where it has previously been used only after standard treatments have failed,

The positive readout in patients with non-relapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis comes on the heels of back-to-back failures in which tolebrutinib was unable to improve relapse rates in patients with relapsing MS.

Tolebrutinib delayed the onset of disability progression by 31% for patients with a type of the disease called non-relapsing secondary progressive MS, according to data from a late stage trial presented Friday, Sept. 20, at a research congress in Copenhagen. The results confirm topline findings published on Sept. 2.

Sanofi said on Friday that its multiple sclerosis drug candidate was shown to delay worsening of a progressive form of the disease by 31%, as the French drugmaker eyes a request for approval later this year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has approved the use of a drug combination along with Sanofi's Sarclisa infusion as a treatment for certain types of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients.

After missing primary endpoints in relapsing forms of MS, tolebrutinib has proved its efficacy in secondary progressive MS patients.