European Commission approves broader label for Avastin allowing combination with docetaxel for the first-line treatment of advanced (metastatic) breast cancer. Physicians will be able to offer more patients Avastin-based treatment options.

More patients with advanced breast cancer could benefit from Avastin as a result of a broader label allowing Avastin to be combined with both docetaxel or paclitaxel chemotherapy, Roche announced today. In March 2007, Avastin was approved in Europe for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer, in combination with paclitaxel. This broader label, approved today by the European Commission, means Avastin can also be combined with docetaxel, another commonly used chemotherapy, giving both patients and physicians more Avastin based therapy options. The standard dose of Avastin for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer remains at 10 mg/kg every two weeks or 15 mg/kg every three weeks.

"Avastin is changing the way cancer is treated, and it has already demonstrated significant benefits across multiple tumour types including breast cancer," said William M Burns, CEO of Roche's Pharmaceuticals Division. "This approval is positive news as more patients with advanced breast cancer could benefit from Avastin since physicians will now have more treatment options."

Despite the treatment improvements that have already been made, breast cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer death in women under age of 55 and more than one million women are diagnosed each year, this leading to more than 500,000 deaths from the disease worldwide.1,2

Avado is an international phase-III trial where 736 patients who did not receive previous chemotherapy for their metastatic breast cancer were randomised to one of three treatment groups.