Roche gets FDA OK for use of Rituxan to treat two rare disorders

21 April 2011

The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) subsidiary Genentech’s Rituxan (rituximab), in combination with glucocorticoids (steroids), to treat patients with Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), two rare disorders that cause blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis).

Rituxan, which has been marketed since 1997, is already indicated for the treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis. The drug, also marketed as MabThera, posted sales of 6.36 billion Swiss francs ($7.1 billion) last year.

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