Bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody most commonly used to treat bowel, breast and kidney cancer, may soon receive marketing authorisation for cervical cancer.

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommends a variation to the terms of the marketing authorisation for the medicinal product bevacizumab.

The CHMP adopted a new indication as follows: “Bevacizumab, in combination with paclitaxel and cisplatin or, alternatively, paclitaxel and topotecan in patients who cannot receive platinum therapy, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with persistent, recurrent, or metastatic carcinoma of the cervix.”

Bevacizumab is designed to attach to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a protein that circulates in the blood and makes blood vessels grow. By attaching to VEGF, bevacizumab starves tumours of their blood supply.

Detailed conditions for the use of this product will be described in the updated summary of product characteristics, which will be published in the revised European public assessment report, and will be available in all official European Union languages after the variation to the marketing authorisation has been granted by the European Commission.

Source: European Medicines Agency