Swiss drugmaker Novartis said its oral drug remibrutinib met the main goals in two late-stage studies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, outperforming rival drug teriflunomide in reducing relapse rates.

The REMODEL-1 and REMODEL-2 trials compared the safety and effectiveness of remibrutinib with teriflunomide, which is sold under the brand name Aubagio by French drugmaker Sanofi, in adult patients.

Remibrutinib also showed clinically meaningful results in slowing disability progression compared with teriflunomide. Novartis said the drug was well tolerated and showed no liver safety issues, consistent with previous trials.

The company plans to present the full data at an upcoming medical conference in Toronto and seek regulatory approval worldwide.

Remibrutinib is one of three experimental drugs that Novartis says together have the potential to generate more than $10bn in peak annual sales and support the company’s long-term growth.

(Reuters, max)