US Capitol Capsule: Hope not enough for Avastin in MBC; Hamburg explains withdrawal
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
The results of rigorous testing often can end in disappointment, despite the best hopes of drug makers, investigators and patients, as was the case for Genentech's Avastin (bevacizumab) in trying to prove itself as an effective and safe treatment for HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC), FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said, in explaining her decision to rescind the drug's marketing approval for that use (scripintelligence, 18 November 2011).