New findings show that risks outweigh the benefits of the drug Avastin on advanced breast cancer patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now in the process of withdrawing the popular breast cancer treatment. And here in Taiwan, experts are starting to look into the effectiveness of the drug, in hope to provide the public with an answer soon.

Tumor inhibitor Avastin is commonly used to treat metastatic or late-stage breast cancer in Taiwan.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently revoked approval for the drug after finding it to be an ineffective cancer treatment.

Experts in Taiwan say that 40 percent of patients in local clinical trials experience hemorrhage or develop high blood pressure as a result of using Avastin, while studies have shown that a percentage of breast cancer patients develop stomach or intestinal ulcers or even heart failure due to the drug.

The FDA believes that Avastin has no effect on the life expectancy of female breast cancer patients, and is calling on the manufacturer to edit its drug indications and hold a public hearing in the near future.

Avastin is not covered under Taiwan's national health insurance plan, and costs 16,000 NT per injection, or up to 200,000 NT per course of treatment.

As a result, local researchers do not have much clinical trial data to go on. Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration has established drug safety monitoring mechanisms to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug, and requested additional information and clarifications from the manufacturer.

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