Genentech’s Avastin Can Curb Brain Cancer

Genentech Inc., a U.S. biotechnology company announced on Sunday that Avastin, its blockbuster cancer drug, showed promising results for patients with the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

The company announced that a good percentage of patients who were suffering from relapsed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and aggressive brain cancer remained free of progression for six months when they used Avastin (or bevascizumab) alone or in combination with irinotecan chemotherapy.

According to Genentech, Avastin inhibits the vascular endothelial growth factor which plays an important role in angiogenesis and the maintenance of existing blood vessels through the lifecycle of a tumor. This effect reduces the tumor's ability to grow and spread in the body.

Avastin was first approved on 26th Feb, 2004 as a first line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer, in combination with intravenous 5-FU based chemotherapy. The drug was also approved on 11th Oct, 2006 as the first line treatment of patients with locally advanced, recurrent or metatatic non-squamous, non-small cell, lung cancer.

Genentech said in its press release that the randomized, multi-center Phase II clinical trial reported at the 12th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology showed "36 percent (31/85) of GBM patients treated with Avastin alone, and 51 percent (42/82) of patients treated with Avastin in combination with chemotherapy, lived without the disease advancing within six months."

Timothy Cloughesy, M.D., director, Neuro-Oncology Program of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles and lead investigator for the study, said, "Historical estimates suggest that only 15 percent of patients with this aggressive type of brain cancer live without their cancer progressing within six months."

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 20,500 new cases of brain cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States and 12,740 patients will die from the disease. Also, the five year survival rate for patients with GBM is only 3 %. So the drug could possibly extend life and help preserve physical and mental function for a longer period of time than has previously been possible.

Hal Barron, M.D., Genentech's senior vice president, Development and chief medical officer, said that the high medical need of patients with the brain cancer and based on these encouraging results, the company plans to discuss these data with the FDA to determine next steps.

The data presented so far covered only the first six months. Overall survival rate and the drug safety for a longer period are expected in 2008.

Swiss drug maker Roche Holding majority owns Genentech. Avastin was developed by Genentech in association with Roche Holding which also has rights to Avastin outside the United States.