SHANGHAI, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Sanofi said on

Tuesday it had stopped supplying Praluent, a popular cholesterol

drug jointly developed by the French pharmaceuticals firm and

its partner Regeneron Pharmaceuticals ( REGN ), in China due to limited

availability.

"The surge in demand has led to limited availability in

China, and some other countries," Sanofi said in a statement

sent to Reuters, adding "at the moment Praluent's supply in

China has already stopped."

It didn't say when supply would resume.

Sanofi said it had "invested to strengthen global production

of Praluent, to meet a rising global demand which accelerated

sharply over the past two years".

The company said clinical experts had found there were other

medicines on China's National Reimbursement Drug List that were

"safe and appropriate" for patients currently being treated with

Praluent and it was working with healthcare providers in China

to "ensure a smooth transition for patients".

Sanofi is the latest foreign drugmaker to stop supplying

popular medications to China. Merck ( MRK ) suspended shipments

of its blockbuster human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil to the

country in February, citing weak discretionary spending.