Avastin Approved in Europe for Treatment of Lung Cancer

[Christine]

ZURICH, Switzerland: Roche Holding AG said Friday that its cancer drug Avastin has been approved in Europe for the treatment of patients with some forms of lung cancer.

The drug has been approved to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease that kills over 3,000 people per day worldwide.

Avastin is the only first-line therapy to demonstrate improved survival benefits beyond one year in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, Roche said.

"We will continue to work with European authorities to make Avastin available to as many patients with NSCLC as possible," the company said in a statement.

Roche said earlier this year that Avastin had sales of 1.91 billion francs, or $1.59 billion in the first half of the year, up 40 percent.

Separately, the company said its U.S. partner Genentech Inc. has resubmitted its application for Food and Drug Administration approval for use of Avastin in the treatment of breast cancer.

The resubmission, based on the Phase III trial, marks the beginning of a six-month review period by the FDA.