Roche’s Avastin recommended for EU approval in cervical cancer indication

Roche has announced that the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended its drug Avastin for approval in a new indication.

The multipurpose drug has been endorsed for use in combination with standard chemotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with persistent, recurrent or metastatic carcinoma of the cervix.

Data from the pivotal GOG-0240 study showed that women who received Avastin plus chemotherapy had a statistically significant 26 percent reduction in the risk of death – a median improvement in survival of nearly four months – compared to those on chemotherapy alone.

Cervical cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women between the ages of 35 and 44, with more than 30,000 women in the EU diagnosed with the disease each year.

Dr Sandra Horning, chief medical officer and head of global product development at Roche, said: "This CHMP positive opinion for Avastin brings us one step closer to providing women with a much needed, new treatment option that can help them live longer compared to chemotherapy alone."

Avastin is one of the company's most strategically important drugs, with more than 1.5 million patients having been treated with it so far. It was approved for the treatment of platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer in Europe last year.