Drug can extend leukaemia patients' lives: study

ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche Holding AG said on Friday its top-selling cancer drug MabThera helped patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) to live longer without their disease getting worse, according to a second late-stage study.

MabThera is known as Rituxan in the United States, where it is marketed by Genentech Inc., and Biogen Idec Inc.

Roche said a second phase III trial had shown MabThera, in combination with the current standard chemotherapy regime, had achieved a "significant improvement in progression-free survival" compared with patients treated with the standard chemotherapy regime alone.

The Swiss drugmaker said MabThera had met its main goal in a second phase III trial. CLL is the most common form of adult leukaemia.

MabThera is Roche's best-selling drug with sales of 2.9 billion Swiss francs ($2.6 billion) in the first half of 2008.

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