New form of Roche's Esbriet approved in Europe for lung disorder

Reuters
The logo of world's biggest maker of cancer drugs Roche is seen at their headquarters before a news conference in Basel, Switzerland February 1, 2017. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich

ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche said a new Esbriet tablet formulation was approved in Europe for mild to moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a fatal condition that causes irreversible, progressive scarring of the lungs. Esbriet has been shown to slow the progression of IPF, and the new tablet formulation reduces the number of pills patients need to take, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement on Tuesday. (Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; Editing by Michael Shields)