Episode 440: An MS Specialist's Response to the FDA with Dr. William Conte episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 2, 2026 · 39 MIN

Episode 440: An MS Specialist's Response to the FDA with Dr. William Conte

from RealTalk MS · host Jon Strum and Dr. William Conte

This past December, the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter to drug manufacturer Sanofi in response to Sanofi's application seeking approval for Tolebrutinib, the first in a new category of investigational disease-modifying therapies to undergo FDA review.    A Complete Response Letter is an official letter from the FDA to a drug manufacturer stating that the agency can't approve a new medicine in its current form. It's not an outright "no" that kills a project; it's more like a "not yet." However, this Complete Response Letter raised some issues which, at first glance, don't appear to be easily fixable. Sanofi has pointed out that the issues raised in the Complete Response Letter were markedly different from the guidance they received from the FDA over the course of this approval process. Sanofi has also indicated that it would work with the FDA to find a path forward for Tolebrutinib. Dr. William Conte, an MS Specialist and a principal investigator in the Phase 3 clinical trial for Tolebrutinib, has published an article responding to the FDA's Complete Response Letter. This week, Dr. Conte joins me to discuss the FDA's action and his response to that action.  We have a lot to talk about! Are you ready for RealTalk MS??! This Week: We're at the 2026 ACTRIMS Forum  :22 Check out the official ACTRIMS Forum Insider podcast!  :42 The FDA's Complete Response Letter about Tolebrutinib  1:09 Dr. William Conte responds to the FDA's Complete Response Letter  4:09 Share this episode  38:10 Next week's episode  38:30 SHARE THIS EPISODE OF REALTALK MS Just copy this link & paste it into your text or email: https://realtalkms.com/440 ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION I've always thought about the RealTalk MS podcast as a conversation. And this is your opportunity to join the conversation by sharing your feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics that we can discuss in future podcast episodes. Please shoot me an email or call the RealTalk MS Listener Hotline and share your thoughts! Email: [email protected] Phone: (310) 526-2283 And don't forget to join us in the RealTalk MS Facebook group! LINKS If your podcast app doesn't allow you to click on these links, you'll find them in the show notes in the RealTalk MS app or at www.RealTalkMS.com Support Jon at WALK MS https://realtalkms.com/walkms Find out about ABLEnow Accounts https://ablenow.com JOIN: The RealTalk MS Facebook Group https://facebook.com/groups/realtalkms REVIEW: Give RealTalk MS a rating and review http://www.realtalkms.com/review Follow RealTalk MS on Twitter, @RealTalkMS_jon, and subscribe to our newsletter at our website, RealTalkMS.com. RealTalk MS Episode 440 Guests: Dr. William Conte Privacy Policy

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Episode 440: An MS Specialist's Response to the FDA with Dr. William Conte

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This past December, the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter to drug manufacturer Sanofi in response to Sanofi's application seeking approval for Tolebrutinib, the first in a new category of investigational disease-modifying therapies to...

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