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Bevacizumab

Abstract

In February 2004, bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech), an antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor, was approved by the US FDA for the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer, a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. As the first approved agent to target tumour angiogenesis, it now looks set to become a blockbuster, helped by anticipated approvals for other cancer types, including non-small-cell lung cancer and renal cell cancer.

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Figure 1: Simplified view of VEGF signalling and tumour angiogenesis.
Figure 2: Market for drugs to treat colorectal cancer in US $ million.

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Correspondence to Mohamed Muhsin.

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Muhsin, M., Graham, J. & Kirkpatrick, P. Bevacizumab. Nat Rev Drug Discov 3, 995–996 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1601

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