Credit: Reuters/Ruben Sprich
The logo of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche is seen outside their headquarters in Basel January 30, 2014.
Roche said the European Commission has backed RoActemra as a treatment for patients with severe, active and progressive rheumatoid arthritis who have previously not been treated with methotrexate.
About 40 million people worldwide are affected by rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that causes joints to become chronically inflamed and swollen.
RoActemra is already approved as a treatment for moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have failed to respond adequately or are intolerant to previous therapy.
(Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Matt Driskill)
