The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a national body that provides care and benefits to military veterans, will no longer allow off-label use of Roche's Avastin (bevacizumab) drug in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.
'VA has ceased ophthal-mologic use of Avastin pending the results of an ongoing investigation and will advise its physicians to consider alternate therapies,' said the body. 'Once the investigation is complete, VA will reassess how Avastin and similar therapies may be made available for ophthalmologic use and will issue further guidance.'
The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning (Optician 09.09.11) on the use of repackaged Avastin after around 20 people in Florida suffered eye infections.
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