Roche’s MabThera ‘could become blockbuster autoimmune drug’

MabThera, a top-selling cancer drug by pharmaceutical company Roche, has been tipped by company executives to top annual sales of a $1 billion (0.53 million pounds) worldwide for the treatment of autoimmune conditions, Reuters reports.

The drug has been approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, with the company informing the news agency that it could also be used for other autoimmune diseases.

MabThera is a monoclonal antibody that works using immunotherapy – the natural immune system – to fight disease. The company’s Actemra treatment for arthritis has been approved for use in Japan, while the company plans to use it in other territories.

The company tipped sales in that field to be in the area of $1 billion, noting the company’s interest in autoimmune treatments.

Urs Schleuniger, business director for haematology and immune diseases at Roche, told Reuters: “It’s potentially a series of different indications where there are high unmet needs. I think it will add up.”

In May 2005, Roche presented data showing that, when used after treatment with MabThera and chemotherapy, MabThera maintenance therapy doubled the time of remission for those in indolent and aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.