Avastin News and Research

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Avastin is a biologic antibody designed to specifically bind to a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that plays an important role throughout the lifecycle of the tumor to develop and maintain blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Avastin is designed to interfere with the blood supply to a tumor by directly binding to the VEGF protein to prevent interactions with receptors on blood vessel cells. Avastin does not bind to receptors on normal or cancer cells. The tumor blood supply is thought to be critical to a tumor’s ability to grow and spread in the body (metastasize).

Today's Opinions: Congressional funding vote leaves out health law; Price controls on health; Tough choices in Washington State

The Senate passed the Continuing Resolution 79-16 this afternoon. Another way of saying that: The Senate voted to defund the implementation of both health-care reform and financial-regulation reform.

23 Dec 2010

FDA moves to curb Avastin's approval for breast cancer

The Food and Drug administration on Thursday revoked its approval of Roche drug Avastin for the treatment of breast cancer. The agency's action, based on findings that did not confirm that the medicine helped patients with this disease, has drawn criticism from patients and politicians.

20 Dec 2010

Today's Opinions: Cucinelli argues for quickly moving Va. case to the Supreme Court; Unraveling Medicaid leaves a big gap; Taking away a cancer treatment

It's hard not to laugh at the cries over the "injustice" of forcing people to buy coverage. Working Americans are already forced to buy health coverage - but for others. They can't choose not to pay the Medicare payroll tax. They can't even make a deal with the government, promising, "I will forgo all future Medicare benefits if I can be freed from the Medicare payroll tax" (Froma Harrop, 12/16).

17 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 17, 2010

Today's headlines highlight major health policy developments, including action in a Florida courtroom regarding the 20-state challenge to the health law and the Food and Drug Administration's curb on Avastin for the treatment of breast cancer.

17 Dec 2010

FDA's decision on Avastin will take away choice for many patients, says Breastcancer.org

Dr. Marisa Weiss, president and founder of Breastcancer.org and a breast oncologist in the Philadelphia area submitted a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration prior to the Oncology Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC) meeting to review data for Avastin's use in metastatic HER2-negative breast cancer. In light of today's news that the FDA has recommended removing Avastin's approval to treat breast cancer, Breastcancer.org is making public Dr. Weiss' ODAC letter in its entirety.

17 Dec 2010

Genentech confirms EMA, FDA updates on Avastin for metastatic breast cancer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, confirmed that following the reviews of Avastin® (bevacizumab) in metastatic breast cancer by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the following regulatory announcements were made by the individual health authorities:

17 Dec 2010

FDA recommends removal of breast cancer indication from Avastin label

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that the agency is recommending removing the breast cancer indication from the label for Avastin (bevacizumab) because the drug has not been shown to be safe and effective for that use.

17 Dec 2010

Today's Opinions: Health law spending; Funding threats undercut U.S. legal tradition; Medicaid falls short

Rising entitlement spending is already driving the federal budget off a cliff. But Obamacare would add fuel to the fire with the largest entitlement expansion since the 1960s. So it takes a special kind of audacity for Obamacare's apologists to continue to insist that the new law will cut the projected budget deficits.

16 Dec 2010

Enzon in collaboration with NCI initiates EZN-2968, EZN-2208 Phase I studies for arresting tumor growth

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, today announced the initiation of Phase I clinical studies, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, for two of the Company's novel oncology product candidates, EZN-2968 and EZN-2208 (PEG-SN38).

16 Dec 2010

PLD/carboplatin to replace paclitaxel/carboplatin as gold-standard treatment for platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that although platinum-based treatment will continue to be the standard of care for first- and second-line treatment of platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD)/carboplatin will replace paclitaxel/carboplatin as the standard second-line treatment for patients who remain platinum sensitive.

10 Dec 2010

A new treatment landscape for triple-negative breast cancer

A concerted R&D effort directed at triple-negative breast cancer patients promises new treatment options in the near future, according to latest research from independent market analyst, Datamonitor.

24 Nov 2010

Myrexis announces poster presentation on Azixa at Neuro-Oncology Scientific Meeting

Myrexis, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for cancer, today announced a poster presentation of its lead product candidate Azixa (verubulin, MPC-6827) at the 2010 Society for Neuro-Oncology Scientific Meeting and Education Day in Montreal, Canada.

20 Nov 2010

VeriStrat analysis shows patients with advanced NSCLC benefit from dual targeted therapies

Results from the VeriStrat analysis of a phase II trial of first line erlotinib in combination with sorafenib in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer were presented today at the 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets in Cancer Therapeutics being held in Berlin, Germany by Egbert Smit, MD, PhD of the VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

20 Nov 2010

DoD recommends funding for Synta's STA-9584 for prostate cancer study

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, today announced that the Department of Defense (DoD) has recommended STA-9584, a novel vascular disrupting agent (VDA) currently in pre-clinical development at Synta, be funded for study in advanced prostate cancer.

19 Nov 2010

Today's Op-Eds: The ObamaCare suit; Fixing physician pay; A federal takeover of Medicaid; Cues from Britain

The voters showed their loathing for the law on November 2, and a large, united legal front of states would increase the chances that the courts find it unconstitutional and preserve our federal system (11/18).

19 Nov 2010

Cancer patients can still access NICE rejected drugs

Anti cancer drugs that have been rejected by the UK Government’s new cancer drugs fund would still be available to needy patients according to the new ‘top-up’ cash plan that is being launched. This Health Top-Up cash plan comes from Western Provident Association (WPA).

17 Nov 2010

EpiCept third quarter net loss decreases to $3.2 million

EpiCept Corporation today announced operating and financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, and provided an update with respect to the Company's key business initiatives.

9 Nov 2010

Pfizer's Sutent stands as first-line setting for treating renal cell carcinoma: Survey

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the majority of surveyed European oncologists who favor Pfizer's Sutent indicate that they would switch to an emerging therapy only if it extended progression-free survival (PFS) by at least an additional two to three months, assuming the agent's safety and tolerability profile was comparable to that of Sutent.

26 Oct 2010

Myrexis to present Phase 2 monotherapy study results of Azixa in patients with GBM

Myrexis, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for cancer, today announced it will present at the 2010 Society for Neuro-Oncology Scientific Meeting and Education Day, to be held November 18-21, 2010 in Montreal, Canada.

22 Oct 2010

Celtic Pharma receives US patent for methods to treat breast, colon cancer

Celtic Pharmaceutical Holdings L.P. today announced that the U.S. Patent Office has issued U.S. patent 7,816,323, for novel methods to treat breast and colon cancers using a combination therapy of Xerecept with Avastin.

22 Oct 2010

Avastin News and Research

Further Reading

Today's Opinions: Congressional funding vote leaves out health law; Price controls on health; Tough choices in Washington State

FDA moves to curb Avastin's approval for breast cancer

Today's Opinions: Cucinelli argues for quickly moving Va. case to the Supreme Court; Unraveling Medicaid leaves a big gap; Taking away a cancer treatment

First Edition: December 17, 2010

FDA's decision on Avastin will take away choice for many patients, says Breastcancer.org

Genentech confirms EMA, FDA updates on Avastin for metastatic breast cancer

FDA recommends removal of breast cancer indication from Avastin label

Today's Opinions: Health law spending; Funding threats undercut U.S. legal tradition; Medicaid falls short

Enzon in collaboration with NCI initiates EZN-2968, EZN-2208 Phase I studies for arresting tumor growth

PLD/carboplatin to replace paclitaxel/carboplatin as gold-standard treatment for platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer

A new treatment landscape for triple-negative breast cancer

Myrexis announces poster presentation on Azixa at Neuro-Oncology Scientific Meeting

VeriStrat analysis shows patients with advanced NSCLC benefit from dual targeted therapies

DoD recommends funding for Synta's STA-9584 for prostate cancer study

Today's Op-Eds: The ObamaCare suit; Fixing physician pay; A federal takeover of Medicaid; Cues from Britain

Cancer patients can still access NICE rejected drugs

EpiCept third quarter net loss decreases to $3.2 million

Pfizer's Sutent stands as first-line setting for treating renal cell carcinoma: Survey

Myrexis to present Phase 2 monotherapy study results of Azixa in patients with GBM

Celtic Pharma receives US patent for methods to treat breast, colon cancer

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