Sanofi says MS drug Lemtrada shows sustained effect on disease

PARIS (Reuters) - Sanofi rare disease unit Genzyme said its Lemtrada multiple sclerosis (MS) drug showed continued efficacy for four years in more than two thirds of patients and that no new safety risks had been identified in its latest studies. Approximately 70 percent of patients who received Lemtrada in two courses of treatment over two years did not need to receive further treatment with the drug during the two-year extension study, Genzyme said in a statement on Thursday. Lemtrada is already sold in Europe but has yet to be approved in the United States, where experts have raised questions about its safety and the quality of clinical studies. Genzyme will detail the results of its latest studies before the European Committee for Research and Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). The company hopes to become a leader in the MS field with the help of new products developed in-house but also through acquisitions, senior Genzyme executives told Reuters in an interview. (Reporting by Natalie Huet; Editing by James Regan)