Genentech to curtail off-label Avastin use

In an effort to combat the off-label use of its anticancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration, US biotechnology major Genentech says it will stop supplying the product to certain retailers.

Avastin, which is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in a variety of cancer indications (Marketletters passim), is chemically similar to the wet-AMD treatment Lucentis (ranibizumab) that Genentech developed in collaboration with Swiss major Novartis. As a result, compounding pharmacies, which are licensed to mix and repackage drugs, have been providing Avastin in monthly single-dose formulations for around $40, a fraction of the $2,000 per month cost of Lucentis.