Reply #5: If you had bothered to read the article... [View All]

it plainly said that patients survival rates for those who received Avastin vs. those who did not receive Avastin made no difference in mean survival times but the risk due to the side effects, which is long and nasty, is not worth the risk. This was a six to zero vote with the review board. In this case science trumps.

I worked on one project with Avastin and Oxaliplatin years ago (end stage colorectal cancer) and the Avastin group had more severe adverse events that were attributable to the Avastin. Just because someone is terminally ill does not mean that it is appropriate to harm them with chemotherapy that is not effective. That goes against the mandate of the FDA. In my opinion, and I work in the clinical research oncology setting, Avastin should be used sparingly and not for all cancers based on the past and ongoing clinical trials. Since the labeling of this drug will be amended, any off label use in light of the safety issues will put the physicians at risk for lawsuit by patients or their families if harm is attributed to the Avastin, which is well documented.

edited to tame the rhetoric.