Compromised vials of Roche's MabThera found in Germany

Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) has said that compromised vials of its arthritis and cancer drug MabThera (rituximab) had been found in Germany. This is the second time that Roche has suffered falsification of its medicines in recent months, as  counterfeit vials of breast cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) were found in three countries in Europe earlier this year.

Roche said it was working with national health authorities and law enforcement to help mitigate the risk to patients after a drug distributor in Germany found three vials of MabThera that carried evidence of tampering. One such marker was a reduced amount of the drug’s key active ingredient, while others were missing caps and information leaflets, or were printed with batch numbers which did not match the products inside.

MabThera is used to treat types of leukemia and lymphatic cancers, as well as rheumatoid arthritis. It is a high-cost drug, and in the UK a 50ml vial costs around $1,416.