Roche wins EU approval for cancer drug
The Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Roche, has been given the green light by the European Commission for its Xeloda drug - the first oral treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer.
In a statement, the Basel-based pharmaceutical group said Xeloda would be more effective than current treatments and easier for patients to take than intravenous chemotherapy.
The EU’s backing follows two controlled tests involving 1200 patients. The drug is already approved for this use in many countries including Switzerland, Canada and Australia.
It’s also used in the fight against breast cancer in more than 50 countries.
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