Strong data for Avastin may lead to lower dose

Swiss drug major Roche says that a Phase III study investigating its drug Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with chemotherapy met its primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival in patients with previously untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most common form of the disease.

Significantly, this benefit was seen in patients who received either a high or low dose of the drug, which suggests that, while the data were positive enough to increase the drug's market penetration, oncologists may use a lower starting dose. The results of the AVAiL study showed that Avastin administered in a schedule of either 7.5mg/kg or 15mg/kg every three weeks in combination with gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy significantly prolonged progression-free survival in patients with advanced NSCLC when compared to chemotherapy alone.

Although the study was not designed to compare the two Avastin doses, a similar treatment effect in progression-free survival was observed between the two arms. Pharmaceutical sector analysts at Lehman Brothers expect data from the AVAiL study to increase Avastin's share of the European Union NSCLC market but decrease the starting dose to 7.5mg/kg from an average of 10mg/kg and predict no overall change in income for Roche. Their net present value for Avastin remains at 23 Swiss francs per share.