ZURICH (Reuters) – Novartis said its Sandoz division received approval from the European Commission for its biosimilar Zessly (infliximab) in gastroenterological, rheumatological and dermatological diseases.

Zessly is approved for use in all indications of the reference medicine including rheumatoid arthritis, adult and pediatric Crohn’s disease, adult and pediatric ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and plaque psoriasis, Novartis said in a statement on Thursday.

Zessly is the sixth approved biosimilar medicine for Sandoz, with several more major oncology and immunology launches expected globally by 2020, Novartis said.

(Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; editing by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi)

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