RHHBY Roche Holdings Ltd AG (QX)

By Andrea Figueras

Roche said that the European Commission approved Tecentriq SC, a cancer immunotherapy subcutaneous injection for multiple cancer types.

The Swiss pharmaceutical company said Tuesday that it has been granted marketing authorisation for Tecentriq SC, which reduces treatment time by approximately 80% compared with standard IV infusion.

The subcutaneous injections take between four and eight minutes, while until now the treatment had been given directly into patients' veins by IV infusion, which takes approximately 30-60 minutes.

Last year, more than 38,000 people in the EU received Tecentriq to treat different types of lung, liver, bladder and breast cancer, Roche said.

The company is also working closely with several providers in Europe to include Tecentriq SC in cancer homecare initiatives where possible.

The injections can also be administered by a healthcare professional outside of the hospital, in a community care setting or at a patient's home, depending on national regulations and health systems.

Write to Andrea Figueras at andrea.figueras@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 16, 2024 01:34 ET (06:34 GMT)

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