Sanofi and Genzyme receive NICE backing for Aubagio

Sanofi and Genzyme have received a recommendation from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the multiple sclerosis drug Aubagio.

Final guidance from the regulator has endorsed the product as a treatment for adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, a chronic and debilitating form of the condition that can be life-altering.

Most current therapies for this disease need to be injected and are associated with numerous adverse effects, but Aubagio is an oral treatment with a different mechanism of action and side-effect profile.

Following this recommendation, the NHS now has a legal obligation to begin funding this treatment for eligible patients within the next three months.

Professor Carole Longson, NICE's health technology evaluation centre director, said: "Teriflunomide offers a new option for treating relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, which could have a substantial impact on quality of life for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis."

The therapy was approved by the European Commission in September 2013, based on its positive performance in clinical trials.