Additional indications in Japan for Roche's Avastin and Astellas' Prograf

Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) says that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the firm’s blockbuster cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of malignant glioma, including newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) in combination with radiotherapy and temozolomide chemotherapy, and as monotherapy for treatment of recurrent GBM and certain other types of high grade glioma following prior therapy.

Current treatment options for malignant glioma are limited, and Avastin represents the first new medicine approved worldwide for newly diagnosed glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer, in the last eight years.

“This approval of Avastin is important news for people in Japan who have been diagnosed with glioma and glioblastoma because aggressive brain cancer can significantly reduce a person’s quality of life and the ability to perform everyday activities,” said Hal Barron, Roche’s chief medical officer and head of global product development.