Roche gains EU approval for new RoActemra formulation

Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) revealed this morning that the subcutaneous formulation of RoActemra (tocilizumab) has received approval from the European Commission for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients who are either intolerant to or have failed to respond to other RA treatments.

This approval makes RoActemra the first anti-interleukin (IL)-6 receptor biologic available as subcutaneous and intravenous (IV) formulations for both monotherapy and combination therapy with methotrexate (MTX). It is the fourth update to RoActemra’s European label and significantly expands the number of patients who now have access to the drug. RoActemra recorded a 30% increase in revenues and achieved sales of more than 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.14 billion) for the first time in 2013.

Allows patients to self-inject if they want