Roche receives EU approval for Gazyvaro, European approval for Actemra

ZURICH (Reuters) – Roche said it has received European approval for its Actemra medication in giant cell arteritis (GCA), the Swiss drugmaker said on Friday.

“As the first effective non-steroid therapy for GCA, Actemra/RoActemra has the potential to fundamentally change how this condition is treated,” Sandra Horning, Roche’s chief medical officer and global head of product development, said in a statement.

In a separate statement, Basel-based Roche said it also received European Union approval of Gazyvaro for people with previously untreated advanced follicular lymphoma.

Reporting by Joshua Franklin, editing by John Revill