Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

FDA Clears Avastin for Breast Cancer

Ruling rejects own panel's advice; drug now used for lung, colon treatment

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 22, 2008 6:06 PM CST

(Newser) – The FDA has approved a drug currently prescribed to treat lung and colon cancer for use on breast cancer patients, the AP reports. The decision defies the advice of the FDA's own advisory panel, which recommended that Avastin not be used to treat breast cancer on the grounds that it slowed tumor growth without increasing life expectancy. Patient advocates are thrilled with the ruling.

Avastin has long been prescribed “off-label” by doctors who appreciate its effect on tumor growth. Others in the field are skeptical, even worried that a focus on shrinking tumors might cause people to “stop looking at survival as the most important endpoint.” To others, the point seems moot; one advocate praises the effects of Avastin “because they give patients hope.”

Exterior view of Genentech Inc. headquarters in South San Francisco, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. A panel of government advisers said Wednesday Genentech drug Avastin should not be approved for expanded... (Associated Press)

Bottles of prescription medication are seen on the shelf of a pharmacy. Genentech's drug Avastin was approved today for use on breast cancer. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole) (Associated Press)

Nancy Hayes, 43, left, undergoes a digital mammogram as Beaumont radiologic technician Shayrn Schymick takes notes. (KRT Photos)

Dr. Murray Rebner reviews a mammogram done using digital technology at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan. (KRT Photos)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

FDA Set to Drop Approval of Avastin for Breast Cancer

Says drug does not help patients live longer

(NEWSER) - The FDA is moving to revoke its approval of Avastin for the treatment of advanced-stage breast cancer, concluding that the drug doesn't help patients live longer, reports the Washington Post . Regulators took their initial steps yesterday against Avastin, which is the best-selling cancer drug in the world but also one of the most expensive: The 17,500 breast cancer patients who take it each year spend about $8,000 per month to do so. More»

Popular Cancer Drug Is Iffy and Expensive

Widely prescribed Avastin doesn't prolong life, studies say

(NEWSER) - Avastin is one of the most widely prescribed cancer drugs in the world, but it might not work, the New York Times reports. The drug, made by Genentech, brings in about $2.3 billion a year in the US alone, but recent trials have shown that though the drug shrinks tumors in sufferers of colon, breast, and lung cancer, it offers little extension of life. More»

Cancer Drug Sales Push Genentech Profits Up 12%

But analysts say Avastin sales slowing

(NEWSER) - Biotech firm Genentech said sales of its blockbuster cancer drug Avastin fueled a first-quarter profit increase of 12%, reports the Wall Street Journal, but the $600 million in sales was below analysts’ projected $622 million, causing some to grumble the drug may have reached a sales plateau. Genentech stock edged up 0.3% in after-hours trading. More»

FDA Panel Rejects Breast Cancer Drug

Uncertainties on risk sink bid to expand uses for Avastin

(NEWSER) - An FDA panel rejected a drug to treat advanced breast cancer by 5-to-4 vote, the Wall Street Journal reports. The drug Avastin is already used to treat colon and lung cancer, but the panel said it did not have sufficient data to weigh the risks and benefits of using the drug to treat breast cancer. More»

FDA Drops Approval of Avastin for Breast Cancer

Drug lacks benefits, but side effects are 'life-threatening': commissioner

(NEWSER) - The Food and Drug Administration has reversed its approval of Avastin as a treatment for breast cancer, long the subject of controversy. The agency’s commissioner said the drug didn't help patients but could hurt them, the New York Times reports. “This was a difficult decision,” says Dr. Margaret Hamburg in a statement. But studies have made it “clear that women who take Avastin for metastatic breast cancer risk potentially life-threatening side effects without proof that the use of Avastin will provide a benefit.” More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

FDA Clears Avastin for Breast Cancer

Ruling rejects own panel's advice; drug now used for lung, colon treatment

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

FDA • breast cancer • lung cancer • colon cancer • Genentech • mortality • tumors • Avastin

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

FDA Set to Drop Approval of Avastin for Breast Cancer

Says drug does not help patients live longer

Popular Cancer Drug Is Iffy and Expensive

Widely prescribed Avastin doesn't prolong life, studies say

Cancer Drug Sales Push Genentech Profits Up 12%

But analysts say Avastin sales slowing

FDA Panel Rejects Breast Cancer Drug

Uncertainties on risk sink bid to expand uses for Avastin

FDA Drops Approval of Avastin for Breast Cancer

Drug lacks benefits, but side effects are 'life-threatening': commissioner

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

FDA Clears Avastin for Breast Cancer

Ruling rejects own panel's advice; drug now used for lung, colon treatment

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

FDA • breast cancer • lung cancer • colon cancer • Genentech • mortality • tumors • Avastin

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

FDA Set to Drop Approval of Avastin for Breast Cancer

Says drug does not help patients live longer

Popular Cancer Drug Is Iffy and Expensive

Widely prescribed Avastin doesn't prolong life, studies say

Cancer Drug Sales Push Genentech Profits Up 12%

But analysts say Avastin sales slowing

FDA Panel Rejects Breast Cancer Drug

Uncertainties on risk sink bid to expand uses for Avastin

FDA Drops Approval of Avastin for Breast Cancer

Drug lacks benefits, but side effects are 'life-threatening': commissioner

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?