Roche receives FDA approval for Avastin

Roche has been granted approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Avastin (bevacizumab) plus interferon alpha for patients with the most common form of kidney cancer – metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

The authorisation was welcomed by William Burns, chief executive of Roche’s pharmaceuticals division, who said that the therapy offers “important clinical benefits”.

Avastin is designed to block the vascular endothelial growth factor protein – which is produced in increased amounts in the majority of kidney cancers – by binding to it.

William Bro, chief executive of the Kidney Cancer Association, added: “We hope that researchers someday find a cure for kidney cancer. Until then, each new medicine, like Avastin, offers patients an opportunity to find a treatment best suited for them.”

In recent days, Roche announced that its phase III CRUISE trial showed that its Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) treatment improved vision in patients with macular edema as a result of retinal vein occlusion.