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US Ophthalmology Association Warns Against Untested Avastin Alternatives

Discourages Using Pfizer’s Zirabev and Amgen’s Mvasi Biosimilars

 
• By Akriti Seth

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has criticized healthcare insurers for pushing bevacizumab biosimilar alternatives to Avastin, like Pfizer’s Zirabev and Amgen’s Mvasi, that have not been subjected to clinical trials in eye disease or testing for retinal toxicity.

Eyes
“We are against the use of drugs in the eye that have never been tested for ophthalmic diseases,” said the American Academy of Ophthalmology • Source: Alamy

US bevacizumab biosimilar rivals to Avastin have come under fire from a US association of eye physicians and surgeons over their use in ophthalmic indications, stemming from the off-label use of cancer treatment Avastin to treat eye disease.

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