Avastin Loses Its Breast Cancer Claim; FDA’s Hamburg Opts For Withdrawal Over Restrictions

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg says Genentech has failed to identify a subpopulation of patients in whom the clinical benefits outweigh the risks. The company says it will not appeal the indication’s withdrawal but will pursue a new study in breast cancer.

Avastin’s first-line metastatic breast cancer claim should be withdrawn, rather than merely restricted, because sponsor Genentech Inc. has failed to identify a subpopulation of women in whom the clinical benefits outweigh the VEGF-inhibitor’s risks, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has decided.

In a Nov

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Pink Sheet for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

More from Post-Marketing Regulation & Studies

Opioid Safety: US FDA Hears Mixed Messages On Adding Posmarketing Studies To Labeling

 
• By 

Some advisory committee members said adding quantitative data on misuse, abuse, opioid use disorder and overdose to labeling would be helpful, but others worried the two epidemiological studies were not sufficiently generalizable to a broader population.

Updated: Makary Backs New Novavax COVID-19 Trial, Political Officials Take Over Product Review

 

In an unusual move, Tracy Beth Høeg, a special assistant to FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, is leading the continued negotiations on Novavax’s delayed COVID-19 vaccine approval.

Pink Sheet Podcast: More US FDA Departures, Makary On Combined AE Database, ‘Conditional’ Approval

 

Pink Sheet reporter and editors discuss the most recent senior staff departures at the FDA and their impact on the agency, as well as Commissioner Martin Makary’s plans for a new approval pathway and a combined adverse event database as outlined in an interview with a podcast host.

US FDA Commissioner Makary Wants To Combine Adverse Event Reporting Systems

 

In discussing FDA’s adverse event monitoring, Makary also seemed to falsely imply the agency did not fully investigate the myocarditis signal with COVID-19 vaccines.

More from Product Reviews