Avastin is inexpensive for Macular Degeneration therapy

Implications:

Ophthalmologists around the country use Avastin intravitreally for wet macular degeneration in doses far smaller than those used for systemic cancer. Although it is an "off-label" use of the drug, the cost for using Avastin is 1/6oth of Lucentis, a very similar drug, also made by Genentech, that IS FDA approved for macular degeneration. Yet, Avastin works just as well as Lucentis for far less cost. I am able to get the Avastin for $50 per dose, whereas Lucentis is $3,000 per dose. So, where Avastin is expensive for a small benefit in cancer therapy, it is quite inexpensive and highly effective in the treatment of macular dengeneration.

Analysis:

Avastin, while an expensive drug, has other uses that are currently "off-label" according to the FDA. Yet the doses are small and the cost is much less than the comparable FDA approved drug. The cost issue of Avastin is an artificial one, caused by the FDA's regulatory methods. It's efficacy in both metastatic colon cancer and macular degeneration has been well shown, and the FDA is responsible for the cost differential (see "Key Implications" above). The New York Times article does not adequately address the real reasons behind the high cost of Avastin for systemic use. The FDA regulatory process is also responsible for the high cost of any medicine that carries the FDA stamp of approval. The FDA process is flawed, not the prescribers of the drug, makers of the drug, or the recipients who get substantial benefits.