ZURICH (Reuters)—Roche’s attempt to retool its rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra/RoActemra (tocilizumab) to treat patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19-related pneumonia has failed in a late-stage trial, the Swiss company said on July 29. Roche launched the 452-patient trial in March as it joined other pharmaceutical companies seeking to re-purpose existing medicines to fight the pandemic. The…
Pfizer’s Biosimilar of Roche’s Rituxan Succeeds in Study
(Reuters)—Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday its biosimilar of Roche’s Rituxan was as effective as the original drug in treating patients with a type of follicular lymphoma, meeting the main goal of a study. The success of Pfizer’s biosimilar comes as Rituxan’s U.S. patent is set to expire later this year. The drug had raked in…
Roche Gets Boost from FDA in Bid to Expand Uses for Actemra
ZURICH (Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted breakthrough status to Roche’s rheumatoid arthritis medication Actemra (tocilizumab) for giant cell arteritis, the Swiss drugmaker said, a step which could help it broaden applications for the medicine. Giant cell arteritis is a chronic, potentially life-threatening autoimmune condition caused by inflammation of large and medium-sized arteries,…
Roche & Novartis Face Off in Biosimilar Drug Battle
ZURICH (Reuters)—Switzerland’s biggest drugmakers are clashing over cheaper copies of pricey biotech drugs—one reason why Novartis is considering selling its $14 billion stake in cross-town rival Roche. With a copycat of Roche’s blood cancer drug Rituxan (rituximab) pending European approval, Novartis aims to muscle in on a share of sales that last year hit 7…