Roche Wins Broader U.S. Approval for Actemra Arthritis Drug
Roche Holding AG’s Actemra medicine won expanded U.S. approval as a treatment for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.
Actemra can be used to inhibit and slow structural joint damage and improve physical function when combined with a standard medicine, methotrexate, the Basel, Switzerland-based company said today in an e-mailed statement.
Actemra won U.S. clearance last year as a therapy for rheumatoid arthritis patients who haven’t been helped by older treatments. The medicine is also approved in the European Union and in countries such as Japan and Australia. Actemra blocks the activity of interleukin-6, a protein that initially stimulates and later hinders the body’s healing process.
Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system attacks the joints, causing swelling, pain and damage that can lead to deformity and disability. The disease afflicts about 1.3 million Americans, according to the Bethesda, Maryland-based National Institutes of Health.
Older rheumatoid arthritis medicines, such as Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co.’s Remicade and Amgen Inc. and Pfizer Inc.’s Enbrel, work by soaking up excess amounts of an inflammatory protein called tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or TNF.
Roche is seeking to expand beyond its industry-leading portfolio of cancer drugs and tap demand for new arthritis, diabetes and anemia treatments.
To contact the reporter on this story: Dermot Doherty in Geneva at ddoherty9@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Phil Serafino at pserafino@bloomberg.net
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