A sign marks a building on Novartis' campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis AG said on Tuesday its biosimilar rituximab to treat blood cancers and immunological diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis was accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Rituximab, made by Novartis’ unit Sandoz, has been proposed as a biosimilar to Roche’s reference medicine Rituxan, Novartis said in a statement.

Rituximab was approved in Europe in June, Novartis said.