Roche announced today that the EU Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended that the European Commission approve MabThera (rituximab) 1400mg solution for subcutaneous (SC) injection for the treatment of patients with common forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). “We are excited the MabThera SC data confirm the efficacy and safety of a significantly shortened treatment time,“ said Sandra Horning, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Head, Global Product Development. “We are confident that reducing treatment to approximately five minutes with MabThera SC will be an improvement for patients and healthcare professionals alike.” Currently, MabThera is delivered by an intravenous infusion which takes approximately 2.5 hours. The new MabThera SC formulation can be delivered over approximately five minutes and comes as a ready-to-use, fixed dose, which reduces pharmacy preparation time and overall impact on hospital resources. The CHMP opinion is based primarily on data from the phase III SABRINA study. Roche expects a final decision from the European Commission in the coming months. Source: Roche press release