ROCHE FILES IN EU FOR MABTHERA TO TREAT ARTHRITIS

Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it applied for regulatory approval for its MabThera drug as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in the European Union, moving the cancer medicine into a new area. It follows a similar filing by development partners Biogen Idec (BIIB.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Genentech (DNA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) last week in the United States, where the drug is known as Rituxan.

Reuters (http://today.reuters.com/business/newsArticle.aspx?type=health&storyID=nL06700533)