Eye disease
Many diseases of the eye, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, damage the retina and cause blindness when blood vessels around the retina grow abnormally and leak fluid, causing the layers of the retina to separate. This abnormal growth is caused by VEGF, so bevacizumab has been successfully used to inhibit VEGF and slow this growth.Bevacizumab has been used by ophthalmologists in an off-label use as an intravitreal agent in the treatment of proliferative (neovascular) eye diseases, particularly for choroidal neovascular membrane (CNV) in AMD. The injection of 1.25–2.5 mg of bevacizumab into the vitreous cavity has been performed without significant intraocular toxicity. Many retina specialists have noted impressive results in the setting of CNV, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, neovascular glaucoma, diabetic macular edema, retinopathy of prematurity and macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusions.Several reviews concluded that similar results concerning effects and safety were obtained using either bevacizumab or ranibizumab. Ovarian cancer
In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy for stage III or IV of ovarian cancer after initial surgical operation, followed by single-agent bevacizumab. The approval was based on a study of the addition of bevacizumab to carboplatin and paclitaxel. Progression-free survival was increased to 18 months from 13 months.In the EU, bevacizumab, in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel is indicated for the front-line treatment of adults with advanced (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages IIIB, IIIC and IV) epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.
Bevacizumab, sold under the brand name Avastin among others, is a medication used to treat a number of types of cancers and a specific eye disease. For cancer, it is given by slow injection into a vein (intravenous) and used for colon cancer, lung cancer, glioblastoma, and renal-cell carcinoma. In many of these diseases it is used as a first-line therapy. For age-related macular degeneration it is given by injection into the eye (intravitreal).Common side effects when used for cancer include nose bleeds, headache, high blood pressure, and rash. Other severe side effects include gastrointestinal perforation, bleeding, allergic reactions, blood clots, and an increased risk of infection. When used for eye disease side effects can include vision loss and retinal detachment. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that functions as an angiogenesis inhibitor. It works by slowing the growth of new blood vessels by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), in other words anti–VEGF therapy.Bevacizumab was approved for medical use in the United States in 2004. It is on the World Health Organizations List of Essential Medicines. It is listed for its use in treating eye disease. Medical uses
Colorectal cancer
Bevacizumab was approved in the United States in February 2004, for use in metastatic colorectal cancer when used with standard chemotherapy treatment (as first-line treatment).