The US Food and Drug Administration through its advisory group, The Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee has ruled out that the famous breast cancer drug known as Avastin or Bevacizumab should be withdrawn from its circulation in the market. This action was triggered following clinical trial evidence that the drug was not working effectively as expected.
Nonetheless, the drug will still be marketed as medication for other forms of cancer including kidney, brain, lung and colon cancer.
Avastin was first heard of in February 22, 2008 after it was approved as a drug that helps in life-threatening conditions. However, the approval also meant further studies should be made. As a result, the manufacturer developed clinical trials to test the efficacy of Avastatin which included adjuvant therapy with another breast cancer drug named Paclitaxel. When combined, the two drugs were able to delay the progression of breast cancer; in fact, the combi-therapy prolonged halting of breast cancer by five months compared to just using Paclitaxel singly.
However, the combination of the drugs did not affect overall survival rate with no substantial figures to get the point across. The initial findings that were presented to the panel of the US FDA did not substantiate new findings. No benefits were clearly revealed and that the odds of survival was not laid out. As a result, Avastin as a medication for breast cancer was recommended for withdrawal.
The formal decision will be released by 17 September.
