Recent Posts
- FDA Okays Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer
- Replication At DNA Damage Sites Highlights Fanconi Anemia And Breast Cancer Proteins
- ASCO To Hold Annual Meeting In Chicago For The Next Ten Years: City Seen As Best Choice To Host Meeting That Continues To Grow
- Protein Partnership Leads To Pediatric Tumor Regression
- ASCO Awarded CEO Cancer Gold Standard: Achievement Underscores Organization’s Commitment To The Health And Well-Being Of Its Employees
Random Posts
- Physical Activity In Adolescence Associated With Decreased Risk Of Brain Cancer In Adulthood
- FDA Questions Denosumab Safety in Advisory Meeting Documents
- PET-CT Predicts Complete Response in Head-Neck CA (CME/CE)
- AAN: Higher-Than-Expected Leukemia Rates Seen with Mitoxantrone in MS
- Lannett Company Receives FDA Approval For Pilocarpine HCI Tablets 7.5 Mg Strength
- Cancer Treatment Breakthrough Welcomed By Leading Mouth Cancer Campaigners
- Europeans Inflate Survival Gain from Cancer Screening (CME/CE)
- Soybeans Contain Compounds That Could Prevent Heart Disease And Cancer
- Survival Of Many Species May Depend On Mystery E. coli Genes
- Involving Family In Medical Rounds Benefits Both Family And Medical Team
Prescription Cancer Drugs
FDA Approves Drug For Treatment Of Aggressive Brain Cancer
Posted by: admin in Prescription Cancer Drugs on October 05th, 2009
The U.S. fda.gov/” rel=”nofollow”>Food and Drug Administration recently approved Avastin (bevacizumab) to treat patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) when this form of brain cancer continues to progress following standard therapy.
GBM is a rapidly progressing cancer that invades brain tissue and can impact physical activities and mental abilities. It affects about 6,700 persons in the United States every year. Following initial treatment with surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy, the cancer nearly always returns.
“This type of cancer is very resistant to therapy and thus challenging to treat,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Avastin provides a therapy for patients with progressive GBM who have not responded to other medications.”
Avastin is a laboratory-produced molecule known as a monoclonal antibody that mimics the antibodies produced by the body’s immune system to defend against harmful substances. The medication inhibits the action of vascular endothelial growth factor that helps form new blood vessels. These vessels can feed a tumor, helping it to grow and can also provide a pathway for cancer cells to circulate in the body.
The drug was first approved in 2004 to treat metastatic cancer of the colon or rectum and has since been approved for treatment of non-squamous, non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic breast cancer.
In two clinical trials, about 25 percent of patients with GBM responded to Avastin with an average duration of response of about four months.
The most serious side effects associated with Avastin, in some cases resulting in death, are gastrointestinal perforation, wound healing complications, hemorrhage, and blood clots. Other serious side effects of Avastin are severe high blood pressure, nervous system and vision disturbances, decreased white blood cell counts, infection, stroke, myocardial infarction, and kidney problems.
The most common adverse reactions were nose bleeds, headache, high blood pressure, runny nose, excess proteins in the urine, taste alteration, dry skin, rectal bleeding, excessive tearing, and skin peeling.
Avastin is manufactured by Genentech Inc. of San Francisco.
Source
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
View drug information on Avastin.
No Comments »
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.