FDA has approved the use of Avastin as a first line of treatment against advanced kidney cancer. Photo Credit: Splash NewsAugust 03, 2009, (Sawf News) - FDA has approved the use of Avastin as a first line of treatment against advanced kidney cancer.
In a statement released on Monday by Genentech, a subsidiary of the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, announced the FDA nod for the use of the drug to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of kidney cancer, in combination with the drug Interferon Alpha.
In the third phase of a clinical study, patients who used a combination of Avastin and Interferon lived nearly twice as long without their disease getting worse compared to those who only used Interferon Alpha.
"During the last five years, Avastin has been approved by the FDA to treat five different types of cancer," said Hal Barron, M.D., executive vice president, Global Development and chief medical officer, Genentech. "We aim to help more people facing difficult-to-treat cancers and will continue studying Avastin in more than 30 other tumor types."
Avastin is designed to block the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein to address a key underlying cause of cancer growth. Avastin works differently than other approved medicines for renal cell carcinoma because it specifically binds to the VEGF protein, which is produced in elevated amounts in most kidney cancers.
"We hope that researchers someday find a cure for kidney cancer," said William P. Bro, chief executive officer of the Kidney Cancer Association. "Until then, each new medicine, like Avastin, offers patients an opportunity to find a treatment best suited for them."
Avastin has been available in Europe as a first line of treatment against advanced kidney cancer since the end of 2007,
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