Avastin Not Safe / Not Effective in Breast Cancer Patients
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- Created on Tuesday, 24 January 2012 14:24
When the FDA revoked the approval of Avastin (Nov 2011) as a treatment to breast cancer, it evoked a lot of very sensitive and emotional reactions. Several stories were made public of individuals who were fortunate in beating cancer and erroneously credited Avastin in their fight against cancer. They were upset with 'government regulation' for pulling a drug just because of some 'side effects'.
Well, naturally, when people are fighting for their lives they want access to anything and everything that has a chance of saving their life. It is important to note though, that the FDA's decision didn't come lightly and only on the back of several clinical studies and thousands of submitted pages of studies, opinions, and trial clinical data.
Just because someone beat cancer and happened to take Avastin, does not mean that Avastin played a role in beating the cancer. Hence the need for clinical trials – to settle the matter based on facts backed up by scientific studies.
The clinical trials led the FDA to two main conclusions:
Avastin has no overall benefit. And that the side effects outweigh the benefits – meaning that the side effects are more harmful to the patient than the cancer itself.
They further went on to say that "Avastin will neither help [breast cancer patients] live longer or improve their quality of life."
Contradictory studies that you may have seen or read were likely performed by Genentech, the manufacturer of Avastin, who has a significant financial incentive toward the outcome. The FDA has no perverse incentives toward the outcome of their clinical trials, only the health and safety of potential users of this drug.
Obviously and understandably, when faced with a life threatening illness it is natural to want something to work or be willing to 'try anything'. But in the case of Avastin, the risks simply do not outweigh the benefits. If you have been negatively impacted by Avastin, you are going to need a specialized law firm with an impeccable track record of success with this type of litigation. The Avastin Lawyers at Cates Law have been awarded some of the largest verdicts in US history. Cates Law will not make you part of a class action lawsuit and they have the resources to start working on your case immediately.
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