European shares closed higher on Tuesday as solid sales from Swiss drug maker Roche and gains on Wall Street helped indexes claw back some of their recent losses amid fears of a slowing global economy. Roche closed up 2.4 percent at 140.6 Swiss francs after its first-quarter sales rose more than expected, helped by strong sales of cancer drugs and a flu treatment. Its Swiss rival, Novartis, added 2.1 percent to 57.15 francs. The FTSEurofirst 300 index closed 0.7 percent higher at 1,070.9 points while the narrower DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index rose 0.3 percent to 2,957.4 points. On Monday, European stock markets suffered their biggest one-day fall in eight months and the FTSEurofirst fell to its lowest close since the end of January. However analysts said the sharp pullback may have overstated global growth concerns following a series of weaker than expected U.S. economic data. "If you take the view that (the recent fall) is a growth wobble within a recovery that is likely to continue, then the equity markets are a buy on dips -- you need a tin hat rather than an ejector seat," said Andrew Bell, European strategist at Carr Sheppards Crosthwaite. --More 2252 Local Time 1952 GMT
