FDA Approves Cervical Cancer Drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug this week to treat patients with late-stage or recurrent cervical cancer. The drug Avastin (bevacizumab) interferes with blood vessels that fuel the development of cancerous cells. It has been approved for use in combination with chemotherapy drugs paclitaxel and cisplatin or in combination with paclitaxel and topotecan. “Avastin is the first drug approved for patients with late-stage cervican cancer since the 2006 approval of topotecan with cisplatin,” said Richard Pazdur, director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “It is also the first biologic agent approved for patients with late-stage cervical cancer and was approved in less than four month under the FDA’s priority review program, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to making promising therapies available to patients faster.”