Avastin which is a breast cancer drug might be pulled by a committee on the Food and Drug Administration. The first clinical trial of the drug showed positive results although one more round of testing shows no effect on breast cancer. . If the drug loses its approval from the FDA, the manufacturers, Roche, might lose quite a bit.
Avastin sells quickly
Avastin is the trade name of Bevacizumab, a cancer medication. It could be called an angiogenesis inhibitor which stops blood vessels from growing. It works by stopping a hormone called vascular endothelial growth factor, which stimulates blood vessel growth. The Los Angeles Times, reports that the drug was approved in 2008 by the FDA as long as more studies were done to prove it works. Roche and its subsidiary Genentech, which makes the drug, have failed to prove in a second round of trials that Avastin is certainly effective in eliminating or stopping breast cancer. About $ 6 billion of the drug is sold every year with about $ 1 billion straight from breast cancer patients.
Roche sees effects already
The company that owns Genentech, Roche Holding Inc., dropped 4.1 percent in market shares following the FDA panel recommended pulling the approval to market the drug as a breast cancer treatment, according to Market Watch. The drop in share value comes on the heels of a series of lawsuits concerning Accutane, an anti-acne medication the business produces. Many cancers other than breast cancer have been helped by the drug, even if it was intended for breast cancer.
Drug not going to end
It is hard to make a drug that really works, especially for cancer. There may well one day be a cure for cancer, but it will take a long time. The only bad thing that could come from the FDA pulling its approval would be Avastin selling less bottles.
Discover more info
Los Angeles Times
latimes.com/news/health/sns-health-avastin-breast-cancer,0,2730048.story
Market Watch
marketwatch.com/story/roche-shares-drop-after-fda-ruling-on-avastin-2010-07-21
Bevacizumab
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevacizumab
