Roche’s Avastin approved as frontline ovarian cancer treatment

Roche has been granted European regulatory approval for the use of Avastin as a frontline therapy for advanced ovarian cancer.

The drug has been ratified by the European Commission in combination with standard chemotherapy for first-line use following surgery, based on progression-free survival benefits demonstrated during phase III trials.

It is the fifth tumour type for which Avastin has been approved in Europe, making it one of only a handful of biologic therapies to be recommended against a wide range of cancers.

This is also a significant development in the treatment of ovarian cancer, which is responsible for the deaths of around 140,000 women on an annual basis worldwide.

Dr Hal Barron, chief medical officer and head of global product development at Roche, said: "Today's approval of Avastin marks the first major treatment advance in newly diagnosed ovarian cancer in 15 years."

This comes after the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use gave a positive recommendation for approval of Roche's personalised melanoma drug Zelboraf earlier this month.