Health Highlights: Feb. 13, 2008
Mar. 24 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Avastin Shown Effective in Treating Breast Cancer, Maker Says
The Genentech drug Avastin (bevacizumab), approved in the United States to treat colorectal and lung cancers, has proven effective in recent clinical tests as a treatment for breast cancer, The New York Times reported, citing a company statement.
The drug lengthened the time before the cancer grew worse, the company said. The newer trials followed initial testing that did not include all "procedures in place that the FDA would have liked," the newspaper said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to decide by Feb. 23 whether to sanction Avastin for breast cancer, although that decision may be delayed to give the agency more time to evaluate the newer clinical data, the Times reported.
In December, an FDA advisory panel of experts voted to recommend against approving the drug for breast cancer, saying the drug's ability to slow the disease didn't outweigh Avastin's potential toxic side effects, "especially since women getting Avastin did not live significantly longer," the newspaper said.
The full FDA isn't bound by the decisions of its expert panels but usually follows them.
-----
Patches Containing Potent Painkiller Recalled
Patches containing the powerful prescription opiod painkiller fentanyl have been recalled because a flaw could cause patients or caregivers to overdose on the drug, the Associated Press reported.
Sold in the United States under the brand name Duragesic by PriCara and generically by Sandoz Inc., the recall includes all 25-microgram-per-hour patches with expiration dates on or before December 2009. The patches were also sold in Canada under the Duragesic brand by Janssen-Ortho Inc. and generically by Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., the AP said.
A total of about 32 million patches will be recalled. PriCara estimates that two patches per million -- or a total of 64 -- have the defect, the Wall Street Journal said.
Related Stories
ABC News Live