Posted on 06/29/2011 2:36:33 PM PDT by tobyhill
A panel of cancer experts has ruled for a second time that Avastin, the best-selling cancer drug in the world, should no longer be used in breast cancer patients, clearing the way for the U.S. government to remove its endorsement from the drug.
The unprecedented vote Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel comes less than a year after the same panel reached the same conclusion.
In three unanimous votes, the six members of the FDA oncology drug panel voted that Avastin is ineffective, unsafe and should have its approval for breast cancer withdrawn.
"I think we all wanted Avastin to succeed but the reality is that these studies did not bear out that hope," said Natalie Compagni-Portis, the lone patient representative on the FDA panel
The vote is not binding and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg will make the final decision. The drug is approved for multiple cancers and will still be available for breast cancer, though most insurers are expected to drop coverage if it loses FDA approval
The FDA began steps to remove Avastin's breast cancer approval in December, but Swiss drug maker Roche took the rare step of appealing that decision and lobbied the agency and Congress for a second hearing.
The dramatic, contentious tone of the two-day hearing underscored the difficulty of removing an option for cancer patients, even when backed by scientific evidence.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Socialize the legal profession, not the medical. Fix the money grubbers annual salary to that of US Attorneys, Assistant US Attorney etc. The excess profits to be given to victims, legal aid and excess profits TAX, no deductions vs the tax.
With legal equality, anyone could sue the Death Panels etc.
Why would I read the comments at MSNBC? Blood pressure on the rise...
bump
Bmfl
Lost a sister to breast cancer. Avastin seemed to be a miracle for a while, then when it stopped working, the cancer was like a ferocious monster.
A month or a week or a day is precious, but I have to say the build-up and then the let down was devastating for everyone. Of course you have to try because you never know what will happen - but that yo-yo of emotion was terrible.
Still I suspect the government's motives in this.
“I think we all wanted Avastin to succeed but the reality is that these studies did not bear out that hope,” said Natalie Compagni-Portis, the lone patient representative on the FDA panel”
I am in a study program for Avastin for ovarian cancer. Many women are on the drug. I had no side effects until I developed a perforated colon which is one of the side effects. Even though it caused me problems I think they are against the drug because it is so expensive.
bfl
I lost my mother to metastatic panreatic cancer. Avastin was used as part of her chemo and it, along with the rest of the drugs, bought her some time but we all knew going into it that we were going to lose this fight. I got to spend 18 months with her that I wouldn’t have otherwise and 15 of those were pretty good all things considered. I had been living in Texas for the past decade when she got the diagnosis but I moved back to Ohio to make up for lost time to the extent possible. I was extremely thankful for the time that we managed have together. Even still, it was the worst 2 years of my life.
Yep. The cost is prohibitive.You didn’t really think the Government would waste all those new tax dollars (10-20% higher taxes on EVERYONE to cover Obamacare) on healthcare did you? Prayers for your hopefully improving health. I have been in cancer detection for 3+ decades and am truly saddened for what’s coming.
One thing about the treatment of breast cancer I don’t understand is why they try to save the breast at all, when there is such danger to the LIFE of the woman. I’d think that at the first sign of it they’d take out the breast tissue immediately. All of it. Right now, before it spreads into the bone. Replace it with an implant or be flat-chested but for God’s sake, be ALIVE. What am I missing here? This has always baffled me.
We have got to rid ourselves of Obamacare. So far, so good with the cancer thingy.
They don’t do mastectomies on all women because it turns out that you can identify groups of women where the mastectomy helps and others where it provides no benefit.
Breast cancer doesn’t kill you by growing into the chest wall, now it is very uncommon to see that. The problem is that the cancer cells get into the blood stream and move to far points in the body. Unfortunately, this can happen when the tumor is still quite small and apparently contained in the breast tissue. In this case, removing the breast does nothing for long term survival but removing the tumor (lumpectomy) does improve short term survival.
Women are saying that it has helped them, but the Obama FDA is ignoring them.
Obama death panels must be terrible indeed, if they are capable of warping time itself to create the FDA 80 years ago. It doesn’t help our cause if we are seen as making irrational claims or otherwise getting carried away.
I don't know what your “cause” is but I know of a couple women that has used the drug and have no problem with the knowledge that the FDA has turned into one of many Obama’s Death Panels.
Thank you for that answer, that makes sense. I am not afraid of much, but cancer? Yes. Man, I hope I just have a nice, quiet heart-attack at 72. In my sleep.
My family never had a history of cancer, until docs started putting stents in them.
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