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 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.

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.

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.

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