FDA Grants Hearing for Drugmaker over Avastin Injection

Washington, DCThe US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted Swiss drugmaker Roche an opportunity to have a public hearing in defense of its Avastin injection for the treatment of breast cancer, The Associated Press reports.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">According to the news provider, Roche said recently that it will defend the drug as a breast cancer treatment at a two-day hearing in June. Avastin, the best-selling cancer drug in the world, has received FDA approval to treat a number of other forms of cancer including of the lung, colon and brain.

However, in December, the FDA ruled that studies could not conclusively demonstrate that the medication was effective in extending or improving the lives of patients suffering from breast cancer and sought to revoke approval for such treatment, the news source said.

Still, Roche's chief medical officer, Hal Barron, said in a statement that the drug should remain approved by the FDA for treating the condition.

"We believe Avastin is an important option for women with this disease and should remain an FDA-approved choice," he said.

Roche, which was founded in 1896, sells products in more than 150 countries, according to the company's Web site.