Avastin approved as first-line treatment for lung cancer
pharmafile | August 24, 2007 | News story | Sales and Marketing |Â Â avastin, lung cancerÂ
Roche's cancer drug Avastin has gained European approval as a first-line treatment for lung cancer on the back of data showing it can extend the lives of a patients by over a year.
Europe's regulator has approved the drug as a first-line treatment in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common form of lung cancer.
Professor Christian Manegold, Professor of Medicine at Heidelberg University, Germany and lead investigator of one of the key trials, was enthusiastic about the news.
"A treatment like Avastin that breaks through the one-year survival barrier is a big step forward. The European approval for Avastin means we can reassess our expectations for lung cancer patient survival," he said.
In the US, Avastin has been licensed to treat lung cancer since October last year, and has given doctors first-in-class treatment to fight the disease. But the high price of the drug in the US has caused controversy, with a number of media reports suggesting a backlash against prices.
For patients with colorectal cancer, Avastin costs around $4,400 a month in the US, but NSCLC patients require double the dose, making the cost around $8,800 a month for them.
In response to the outcry over costs, Genentech, which markets the drug in the US, has capped the cost of the drug at $55,000 a year per patient for any FDA-approved indication.
The UK
In the UK, Avastin uptake as a treatment for colorectal cancer has been held back by a negative NICE decision in January this year.
The cost and clinical-effectiveness watchdog rejected the drug for use in colorectal cancer, saying its £16,800 per year cost and 4-5 month extension of life meant it was not sufficiently cost-effective.
Campaigners will fear a similar outcome for lung cancer patients hoping to receive the drug, but must hope the 12 months extended survival data seen in this cancer, combined with the lack of alternative treatments will sway NICE.
A fast-track NICE appraisal of Avastin has already begun, and its decision on the drug is currently expected in January 2008.
Roche markets another innovative treatment for the treatment of NSCLC, Tarceva, although this is only approved as a second-line treatment. The drug was rejected by NICE this summer, ruling that it was no more effective at treating lung cancer than currently available cheaper alternatives.
NICE is also preparing to review the use of Avastin in renal cell carcinoma, along with two other drugs, and expects to issue its decision in January 2009.
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