Recently, the European Commission approved Avastin (bevacizumab) as a front-line treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer when used in combination with standard chemotherapy.
Approximately 220,000 women are diagnosed and 140,000 women die of ovarian cancer each year globally. Prior to the approval of bevacizumab, ovarian cancer treatment had been limited to surgery and chemotherapy.
This approval will enable the use of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy for the front-line treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian and primary peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer for women in Europe. According to Hal Barron MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head, Global Product Development, “This is the fifth tumor type for which Avastin has been approved in Europe, making it one of few biologic drugs indicated for multiple cancers.”
In 2 phase 3 studies (GOG0218 and ICON7), women with newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer who received a combination of bevacizumab and chemotherapy and subsequently continued on bevacizumab alone demonstrated a longer progression-free survival compared with those who received chemotherapy only.
Source: Roche.