Hewitt calls for trials of Avastin for AMD

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has taken the unprecedented step of telling Avastin manufacturer Genentech and Roche which markets the drug in the UK to put it through clinical trials and seek a licence for its use to treat wet age-related macular degeneration.

Ophthalmologists in the US and the rest of Europe are already successfully using the bowel cancer drug Avastin to treat wet AMD. Avastin injections can cost as little as £10 per shot.

Hewitt's comments come at a time when there is growing furore surrounding the availability of Lucentis in the UK. Some PCTs are refusing to fund treatment which can cost up to £1,000 a time, until it is approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Lucentis already holds a European licence.