Roche’s Avastin recommended for EU approval in colorectal cancer

Roche has announced that the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended the approval of its drug Avastin in an expanded colorectal cancer indication.

The European Medicines Agency has granted a positive opinion for the addition of data from the ML18147 study – which showed the benefits of continued treatment with Avastin – to the drug's current European label.

It will allow metastatic colorectal cancer patients who receive Avastin plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment to continue to receive this regimen in a second-line setting should their cancer worsen.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, with more than 1.2 million new cases diagnosed each year.

Dr Hal Barron, Roche's chief medical officer and head of global product development, said: "This positive CHMP opinion is an important step towards potentially changing the approach to treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and providing a new option for patients."

This comes after Avastin was approved in Europe for the treatment of patients with first recurrence of platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer last month.