NYT
Five More Reports of Avastin Injections Causing Blindness
By ANDREW POLLACK
Published: September 1, 2011
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LOS ANGELES — Five more patients who were being treated with the drug Avastin for eye disease have been blinded, according to one of the patients and medical professionals.
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Times Topic: Avastin (Drug)
The latest cases occurred last month at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Los Angeles. Late Thursday, the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed that the problem had occurred and said that an investigation into the matter was continuing.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the veterans affected by the Avastin eye injections,” it said in a statement.
Avastin, made by Genentech, is a cancer drug but is commonly used to treat the wet form of age-related macular degeneration and other eye diseases because it costs only about $50 an injection.
That saves Medicare and patients hundreds of millions of dollars a year compared with using Lucentis, a somewhat similar Genentech drug approved for the treatment of eye diseases but costing about $2,000 an injection.
To use Avastin for eye disease, a vial meant for a cancer patient must be divided into numerous tiny doses and each dose placed in a syringe for injection into the eye. The extra handling increases the risk of bacterial contamination and other problems.
On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration issued an alert saying that 12 patients in the Miami area had suffered eye infections after being injected with Avastin. Some of the patients lost all of the remaining vision in their treated eye, the F.D.A. said.>SNIP> |
