Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Avastin Vs. Lucentis--The Debate Continues After FDA Warning

"At least 16 people in two states have gotten severe eye infections, and some have been blinded, from injections of the drug Avastin, according to health authorities and to lawyers representing the patients," notes a post on NYTimes. "The cancer drug Avastin has been used by some doctors to treat macular degeneration, an off-label application.The incidents, in Florida and Tennessee, demonstrate the risks associated with the money-saving practice of injecting Avastin into the eye...But many retina specialists use Avastin off label because it costs only about $50 an injection, compared with $2,000 for Lucentis...The Food and Drug Administration issued an alert late TuesdayRead more. saying that at least 12 patients in Miami, treated at three clinics, had suffered eye inflammations."

No comments:

Post a Comment