Today is the day– the big hearing about Avastin. It’s a complicated issue and I’m not entirely sure where I stand. Avastin works amazingly well for some individuals. But if you look at the group data, it looks like a failure for many and can have severe side effects. But is that a reason to take it away from the patients it has worked for?
I can’t say that I’m too concerned about the outcome of the hearing. Avastin is an approved drug for other cancers, so oncologists can always prescribe it off-label for breast cancer patients. But still, the larger issue remains– we need a REAL cure that works for advanced BC. Does the government really need to be fighting against a drug that has worked well for some, in order to protect others? And we’re talking about women with advanced, incurable cancer here. Risk has a whole other meaning to us.
Some basic info on the hearing today is on CNN.
Karen Kasonic 