A study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that the cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) raises a patients’ risk of death by up to 350 percent when combined with chemotherapy. According to an article on CNN, Avastin is also responsible for causing blood clots in legs and lungs when used as directed. The drug is designed to stop the production of new blood vessels and therefore slow and stop the spread of cancer.
Researchers from Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York analyzed a series of 16 previously published randomized controlled trials that included data on more than 10,000 cancer patients with tumors. Avastin was linked to a risk of fatal adverse events (FAEs) especially when combined with other conventional cancer treatments. Other studies have shown that Avastin punctures a hole in the wall of the GI tract which can also lead to death.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found in 2006 that the drug is linked to a rare form of bleeding in the brain that can lead to serious headaches, seizures, blindness, and neurological disorders and was not effective or safe against breast cancer. Avastin is made by the Swiss drug manufacturer Roche.
These new findings are an important reminder that drugs are products made by large pharmaceutical companies for profit and an FDA approval does not guarantee they are safe for short or long term use or that the benefits necessarily outweigh the risks.
If you or a loved one has had an adverse reaction to a prescription drug, get help immediately and then call the Florida product liability lawyers at Farah & Farah to get an evaluation of your case.
