As expected, the FDA has approved Genentech's Avastin as a front line therapy for the most common kind of lung cancer. Some 162,000 Americans die every year from lung cancer. Avastin, already approved for colon cancer, will be provided to qualified patients for a discounted price of $55,000 a year, but only for approved indications. Genentech and other drug developers have been harshly criticized for demanding astronomically high retail prices on new therapies.
- read the AP report on the approval