FDA Approves Genentech’s Avastin® (Bevacizumab) Plus Chemotherapy as a Treatment for Women with Advanced Ovarian Cancer Following Initial Surgery
June 13th, 2018
On June 13, the FDA approved Avastin® (bevacizumab) in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy, followed by Avastin as a single agent, for the treatment of women with advanced (stage III or IV) ovarian cancer following initial surgical resection.
News in brief
- Avastin plus chemotherapy as a treatment for women with advanced ovarian cancer after initial surgery was approved based on results from the pivotal Phase III GOG-0218 trial
- Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer in the United States1
- About 80% of ovarian cancer cases are found at an advanced stage, when the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries2
- In the United States, Avastin is now approved for ten distinct uses across six different types of cancer, and this indication represents Avastin’s fourth gynecologic oncology indication in four years.
References
1. Key Statistics for Ovarian Cancer. American Cancer Society; 2018. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovarian-cancer/about/key-statistics.html.
2. Cancer Facts & Figures 2018. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2018/cancer-facts-and-figures-2018.pdf.
Supporting Information
“Today’s approval is an important advance for women newly diagnosed with this type of ovarian cancer. We’re committed to advancing medicines in areas of unmet need and this FDA approval of Avastin plus chemotherapy gives women with advanced ovarian cancer a new treatment option that has been shown to significantly delay disease progression or death.”