AVASTIN

Avastin is a drug used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is also used to treat diabetic eye disease and other problems of the retina. It is injected into the eye to help slow vision loss from these diseases. Avastin is the brand name for the drug, which is called bevacizumab.

Avastin isn’t known to cause hair loss. This side effect wasn’t seen during clinical trials of the drug. Hair loss can be a common side effect of certain chemotherapy drugs. Avastin isn’t a chemotherapy drug, but it’s often used in combination with chemotherapy to treat various cancers.

Avastin can sometimes cause serious blood clots that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke in the past, you may have a higher risk for these side effects. Ask your doctor if Avastin is right for you.

It starts working immediately but the patient may or may not notice changes in vision over the first week or two. We can see the effects of Avastin on some tests like the Ocular Coherence Tomography (or OCT, a specialized imaging tool) within a few days of treatment.

How long do my Avastin infusions take? You always get the same dose of Avastin. If your Avastin infusions are tolerated, they can take as little as 30 minutes. Your doctor or nurse will monitor you for signs of infusion-related reactions, and may stop Avastin treatment if severe reactions occur.

Doctors use the term anti-angiogenic to describe Avastin, because it works against the formation of blood vessels. Avastin can also change blood vessels already feeding the cancer in ways that make it harder for the cancer to survive and more vulnerable to chemotherapy. Avastin is an immune targeted therapy.

Overall, patients on Avastin were at a fourfold risk for protein loss and kidney damage, depending on dosage and the type of cancer. In terms of incidence, 10 percent of patients being treated with the drug for kidney cancer suffered organ damage and were at highest risk.

Avastin® (bevacizumab) works differently than chemotherapy. Avastin is used with chemotherapy and hits your cancer from another angle. Avastin is a tumor-starving (anti-angiogenic) therapy. The purpose of Avastin is to prevent the growth of new blood vessels.

Hair loss wasn’t reported as a side effect in studies of Avastin. But keep in mind that Avastin may be used together with chemotherapy to treat certain cancers. And hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy drugs. So you may have hair loss if you receive Avastin together with chemotherapy.

The study showed that people taking Avastin with chemotherapy had better outcomes than did people taking chemotherapy alone. For example, half of the people taking Avastin lived at least 16.8 months. In comparison, half of the people using chemotherapy alone lived at least 12.9 months.

Maintenance therapy may be given to some people after they complete chemotherapy treatment to decrease the chance that the cancer will come back, or to delay the cancer from coming back. Two types of targeted therapies are used for maintenance therapy, Avastin (bevacizumab) and PARP inhibitors.

The cost for Avastin intravenous solution (25 mg/mL) is around $849 for a supply of 4 milliliters, depending on the pharmacy you visit. Quoted prices are for cash-paying customers and are not valid with insurance plans.

On November 18, 2011, US FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced that her agency was revoking breast cancer indication for Avastin (bevacizumab) after concluding that the drug has not been shown to be safe and effective for the treatment of breast cancer.

This is partly because the FDA in January 2005 warned that Avastin, when used to treat colon and other cancers, significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and other related adverse health events.

Avastin can sometimes cause serious blood clots that could lead to a heart attack or stroke. If you’re age 65 years or older, you may have a higher risk for these side effects.

You should not receive this medication if you have any serious bleeding problems. In addition, this medication can rarely cause a tear in the stomach/intestines (gastrointestinal perforation).

“Avastin is a full-size antibody to VEGF, the factor that causes leakage in wet macular degeneration. Lucentis is actually an antibody fragment that’s been engineered to have a higher affinity for VEGF, and hopefully better penetration in the retina because of its smaller size.”

Out of an abundance of caution, Pine has elected to issue a voluntary recall for specific lots of repackaged bevacizumab (Avastin®).

Unlike chemotherapy that attacks the cancer cells, the purpose of Avastin is to block the blood supply that feeds the tumor. This can stop the tumor from growing.

For example, when used to treat ovarian cancer, Avastin is given with certain chemotherapy drugs. Certain side effects were more common in people with ovarian cancer than other types of cancer in clinical trials. These side effects included fatigue, nausea, nosebleeds, joint pain, diarrhea, and headache.

You start taking Avastin® (bevacizumab) with carboplatin and paclitaxel (chemotherapy) to treat your advanced (stage III or IV) ovarian cancer. And you keep taking Avastin as long as your disease is controlled and your side effects are manageable, up to 22 cycles.

For example, when used to treat ovarian cancer, Avastin is given with certain chemotherapy drugs. Certain side effects were more common in people with ovarian cancer than other types of cancer in clinical trials. These side effects included fatigue, nausea, nosebleeds, joint pain, diarrhea, and headache.

It starts working immediately but the patient may or may not notice changes in vision over the first week or two. We can see the effects of Avastin on some tests like the Ocular Coherence Tomography (or OCT, a specialized imaging tool) within a few days of treatment.

heart problems–chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder, nausea, sweating, swelling, rapid weight gain, feeling short of breath; or. low white blood cell counts–fever, mouth sores, skin sores, sore throat, cough.

Unlike chemotherapy that attacks the cancer cells, the purpose of Avastin is to block the blood supply that feeds the tumor. This can stop the tumor from growing.

An increased risk of bruising and bleeding These blood cells help the blood to clot when we cut ourselves. You may have nosebleeds or bleeding gums after brushing your teeth. Or you may have lots of tiny red spots or bruises on your arms or legs (known as petechiae).

How long do my Avastin infusions take? You always get the same dose of Avastin. If your Avastin infusions are tolerated, they can take as little as 30 minutes. Your doctor or nurse will monitor you for signs of infusion-related reactions, and may stop Avastin treatment if severe reactions occur.

Depending on the type of cancer that’s being treated, Avastin is most often used in combination with chemotherapy. (Chemotherapy describes traditional drugs used to treat cancer. Avastin isn’t a chemotherapy drug.) But for some types of cancer, Avastin is approved for use on its own.

Avastin is also approved by the FDA to treat advanced cancers of the lung, colon, and rectum. The FDA’s removal of the breast cancer indication will not affect those approvals.