Janssen's ponesimod shows superiority over Aubagio

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) subsidiary has announced positive results from the Phase III OPTIMUM study for ponesimod, an investigational selective S1P1 receptor modulator, showing superior efficacy on the primary endpoint and most secondary endpoints compared to Sanofi’s (Euronext: SAN) Aubagio (teriflunomide) 14mg in adults with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS).

In the head-to-head, two-year Phase III comparative study, statistically-significant reduction of annualized relapse rate (ARR), the study's primary endpoint, was observed with ponesimod when compared to teriflunomide by 30.5% up to week 108 (ARR = 0.202 for ponesimod 20 mg vs. 0.290 for teriflunomide 14 mg, p=0.0003).

The data were presented by Professor Ludwig Kappos, Chair of the Department of Neurology at University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, on behalf of the study's investigators, as part of an oral presentation at the 35th Congress of The European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Stockholm, Sweden.