Genentech seeks to make Avastin a combination cancer therapy

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. Biotech company Genentech is hoping to squeeze another use out of a cancer drug.

The biotech company, a subsidiary of Roche, announced Tuesday that it had submitted two applications to the Food and Drug Administration seeking approval of Avastin (bevacizumab) as a treatment for advanced breast cancer in combination with docetaxel, taxane, anthracycline-based or capecitabine chemotherapy in patients who have not received chemotherapy. The drug already has approval as a first-line treatment for advanced breast cancer in combination with paclitaxel chemotherapy.

“We look forward to working with the FDA to evaluate the data from more than 2,600 women with advanced breast cancer who participated in these studies that showed Avastin in combination with various chemotherapies helped them live longer without the disease worsening,” Genentech EVP global development and chief medical officer Hal Barron stated.