Breast cancer drug Avastin will be removed from the market, after an U.S. Food and Drug Administration evaluation that determined the benefits of the drug do not outweigh the risk.
Avastin, a drug used to treat advanced metastatic breast cancer, can delay an advanced breast tumor from growing by about five months, but it has been unclear whether patients have lived longer or had a better quality of life from the drug. It has also been linked to serious side effects, including blood clots, bleeding and heart failure.
“After careful review of the clinical data, we are recommending that the breast cancer indication for Avastin be removed based on evidence from four independent studies,” said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, to news reports. “None of the studies demonstrated that patients receiving Avastin lived longer, and patients receiving Avastin experienced a significant increase in serious side effects. The limited effects of Avastin combined with the significant risks led us to this difficult decision.”
The FDA decided to withdraw Avastin after evaluating two new studies that showed the “had not shown that the drug extends life and indicated the drug slowed tumor growth for perhaps as little as about a month.”
As a North Charleston personal injury attorney , I am glad the FDA has removed this drug from the market if they really feel it is dangerous to consumer’s health . I hope they are able to conduct more reviews on this drug, or similar drugs, to find a suitable treatment. If your or a loved one has been injured by Avastin, have your case evaluated by a personal injury lawyer.