Novartis MS drug remibrutinib cuts relapse rates by about a third in Phase 3 trials

Data presented at an MS conference in Toronto showed that Novartis' experimental therapy, remibrutinib, reduced the annualized relapse rate in relapsing‑remitting multiple sclerosis by roughly 35% compared with the standard treatment Aubagio.

The reduction was observed in two Phase 3 studies, REMODEL‑1 and REMODEL‑2, where relapse rates fell 35.2% and 31.2% respectively, a difference that translates to about one relapse every 13 years for patients on the new drug.

While Roche's fenebrutinib achieved a larger drop of more than 50% versus Aubagio, Novartis highlighted a cleaner safety profile for remibrutinib, suggesting it could be a competitive option in the market despite the lower efficacy margin.