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 WASHINGTON (AP) - A panel of government experts said Wednesday that Genentech's cancer drug should not be approved for expanded use in breast-cancer patients.
The Food and Drug Administration's advisers voted 5 to 4 against the new use, on grounds that the benefits of the treatment did not outweigh potential risks. The agency does not have to follow the advice of its panel, though it usually does.
Initially approved in 2004 to treat colon cancer, Avastin was the first drug to fight cancer by stopping nutrients from reaching tumors. Such "targeted therapies" were thought to hold promise for eliminating chemotherapy, but that promise remains unmet.
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