Following the lackluster and unconvincing results of recent trials imposed by the US FDA, the agency may restrict the marketing of Avastin (bevacizumab), the blockbuster anticancer drug made by pharmaceutical giant Roche, to exclude treatment for breast cancer.
Currently, Avastin is approved to treat metastatic colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, metastatic breast cancer, glioblastoma, and metastatic kidney cancer.
This is the second significant setback in recent weeks for Avastin. Earlier, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK rejected Avastin as a first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer, claiming that the minimal benefits did not justify the high cost.
CANCER TYPE(S)
HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer
TREATMENT TYPE
Angiogenesis inhibitor (or anti-angiogenic agent). Avastin is a humanized monoclonal antibody that works to prevent the development of oxygen- and nutrient-delivering blood vessels to tumors.
By Ross Bonander
