FDA revokes Roche's Avastin for breast cancer

[The Straight Story]

FDA revokes Roche's Avastin for breast cancer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. drug regulators on Friday withdrew approval of Roche's Avastin as a treatment for breast cancer, capping a protracted and emotional battle over a drug backed by many survivors of the disease.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said Avastin has not proven safe and effective for breast cancer. The drug will remain on the market for other uses, such as treating types of colon, lung, kidney and brain cancer.

Advisers to the FDA paved the way for Friday's decision, recommending against Avastin's use in breast cancer in June.

The panel, convened after Roche appealed the FDA's original plan to revoke the breast cancer indication, heard emotional testimony from patients who insisted that Avastin had saved their lives.

http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/fda-revokes-roches-avastin-for-breast-cancer