Surveyed Oncologists Indicate that Avastin has Advantages over Temodar/Temodal in Increasing Overall Survival of High-Grade Glioma

9 March 2009

Drug That Improves Survival, When Added to Temodar/Temodal, Would Earn a 65 Percent Patient Share in the U.S. and a 30 Percent Patient Share in Europe in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme, According to a New Report from Decision Resources.

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that surveyed oncologists identify a therapy's effect on overall survival as the attribute that most influences their prescribing decisions in high-grade glioma. Clinical data and the opinions of interviewed thought leaders indicate that Roche/Genentech/Chugai's Avastin has advantages in this attribute over Schering-Plough's Temodar/Temodal (temozolomide), the sales-leading agent in the market.

The new report entitled High-Grade Glioma: Prolonged Survival over Temozolomide Will Be Integral to Market Success finds that a therapy, when added to temozolomide, that increases median overall survival compared with temozolomide alone would earn a 65 percent patient share in the United States and a 30 percent share in Europe in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme, according to surveyed U.S. and European oncologists.

In 2008, Decision Resources' proprietary clinical gold standard for high-grade glioma was Avastin. Although Avastin is not formally approved for the treatment of high-grade glioma, the drug is widely prescribed off-label as a result of promising Phase II clinical trial data. Based on expert opinion, Avastin will retain clinical gold standard status through 2017, owing to its high efficacy.

"Avastin emerges as our gold standard because of its efficacy, the attribute surveyed oncologists rated as the most important in treating high-grade glioma," said Decision Resources Analyst Ramya Kollipara, Ph.D. "Because the prognosis for high-grade glioma patients is so poor, interviewed thought leaders welcome Avastin's entry into this market because of its high efficacy, despite its associated side effects and less convenient delivery."

About the Report

High-Grade Glioma: Prolonged Survival over Temozolomide Will Be Integral to Market Success is a DecisionBase 2009 report. DecisionBase 2009 is a decision-support tool that provides in-depth analysis of unmet need, physician expectations of new therapies and commercial dynamics to help pharmaceutical companies optimize their investments in drug development.

The report can be purchased by contacting Decision Resources. Members of the media may request an interview with an analyst.

About Decision Resources

Decision Resources (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.

Commento Personale: Questo dimostra come l’Avastin sia già il “gold standard” nei pazienti nuovi diagnosticati affiancato, magari, al Temodal negli Stati Uniti. E’ quindi necessario richiedere ed ottenere questo farmaco già in Italia per tutti i pazienti. Considerati i tempi di adeguamento lentissimi del nostro Paese (ci vorranno ancora molti anni perchè venga utilizzato in modo standard) solo dietro esplicita richiesta agli oncologi più importanti (Riccardo Soffietti a Torino, Gaetano Finocchiaro a Milano per citarne alcuni) oggi si riuscirà ad ottenere questo farmaco anche nel nostro Paese. E’ di ieri la notizia che l’FDA americana, l’agenzia del farmaco locale, discuterà della approvazione dell’Avastin in USA come terapia ufficiale per il glioblastoma il prossimo 31 Marzo.

Source The Earth Times