Reuters reports that a new study shows that the cancer drug Avastin causes an increased risk (by 33%) of blood clots in veins.
The article is reprinted below.
Avastin raises risk of blood clots in veins-study
Tue Nov 18, 2008 4:00pm ESTCHICAGO, Nov 18 (Reuters) – An analysis of 15 clinical trials involving Roche (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Genentech’s (DNA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) popular cancer drug Avastin raises the risk of developing blood clots in the veins by 33 percent, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
The study shows “a significant increased risk with Avastin for patients while they are taking chemotherapy,” said Dr. Shenhong Wu of Stony Brook University Cancer Center in New York, whose study of nearly 8,000 patients appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Maggie Fox and Eric Walsh)
