Roche receives EU approval for expanded use of MabThera

Roche has been granted EU backing for its drug MabThera to be used in a new application as a first-line maintenance treatment for follicular lymphoma.

The European Commission has approved the treatment in this indication among patients who have previously responded to induction therapy, based on positive findings from the recent phase III Prima trial.

It has been shown that use of the rituximab-based treatment for two years following induction with immunochemotherapy helps to cut the potential risk of relapse by half.

It represents the first available active treatment strategy for newly-diagnosed patients, who are currently required to wait for signs of relapse before they can receive therapy.

Professor Graham Jackson, consultant haematologist at Freeman Hospital, said: "The approval of the extended regimen means that we can expect to significantly reduce the risk of the disease coming back in hundreds more patients."

Earlier this month, Roche published new phase III clinical trial data for RoActemra, demonstrating its long and short-term efficacy against rheumatoid arthritis.