Roche's neuromyelitis optica drug Enspryng wins EU approval

[June 28, 2021]  ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche's Enspryng has been approved by the European Commission, the Swiss drugmaker said on Monday, the latest regulatory blessing for the injectible drug that can be given at home to treat neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.

The EU approval follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's green light last August to treat the rare condition, also called Devic's disease, where the immune system damages the spinal cord and the nerves of the eyes.

Three drugs have U.S. approval for treating the disease, including Enspryng, Alexion's Soliris and Horizon Therapeutics' Uplizna, in what is one of the healthcare world's most-costly treatment areas where therapies' price tags can run to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

(Reporting by John Miller; Editing by Michael Shields)

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