Roche Holding AG (ROG) won the backing of the U.K. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for the RoActemra rheumatoid arthritis drug after agreeing to provide a discount to the state-run medical system. RoActemra may be used at additional stages of treating the disease under new draft treatment guidelines, according to an e- mailed statement from the agency, known as NICE. Roche, based in Basel, Switzerland, must provide a discount on the medicine, which costs 9,295 pounds ($14,225) a year for a patient weighing about 70 kilograms (154 pounds). The level of the discount will remain confidential, NICE said.
