Avastin filed for lung cancer in Japan
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Chugai (Roche) has filed a submission in Japan for the approval of Avastin (bevacizumab) for the additional indication of non-small cell lung cancer. The application is for the first-line treatment of non-squamous advanced or recurrent disease in combination with standard platinum-based therapy, as approved in the US in 2006 and Europe last year. The VEGF-targeting antibody was approved for non-resectable advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer in Japan in April 2007. Chugai noted that the incidence of lung cancer in the country was forecast to rise to around 99,000 cases in 2010, and that NSCLC was already the leading cause of local cancer deaths.