"Avastin" preparation: patient reviews, instructions for use, side effects

The drug "Avastin" is considered an antitumor agent, which refers to monoclonal antibodies. During the application of the drug, there is a decrease in the metastatic progression of pathology and microvascular permeability in various malignant neoplasms, especially those relating to the breast in women, the colon, and the pancreas and prostate gland.

Structure of the preparation

The drug "Avastin" is produced in the form of a concentrate, which is intended to prepare a solution for infusions, can be colorless or with a slightly subtle brownish tinge.

The main substance of the drug is bevacizumab. This product is available in packs of 100 mg, where 4 ml of the active substance, and 400 mg / 16 ml.

pharmachologic effect

"Avastin" is a drug against tumors, which slows the formation of new vessels supplying nutrients and oxygen to the tissues of the neoplasm, and thus allows to transfer the malignant tumor from the aggressive stage to the chronic one. "Avastin" (reviews of patients and doctors - that is confirmation) is acting overwhelmingly on metastases of various malignant tumors.

For this remedy, it is characteristic to spread in tissues in a minimal amount, besides this, it is removed from the body for a long time, which allows maintaining the necessary quantity of the main component of the drug, introducing it strictly according to the instructions - once every 14-20 days. Drug is not output through the liver or kidneys, but through all the cells of the body for 18 days in men, and in women - 20.

But is "Avastin" so good? Patients' opinions say that this is a very effective drug if combined with chemotherapy for various types of cancer. This drug significantly increases the survival period in all groups of patients, with the progression of the disease does not occur.

Avastin: indications for use

This drug is widely used in the therapy of cancer. Doctors appoint him:

1. With metastatic colorectal cancer. The drug is recommended to be used together with chemotherapy on the basis of "Fluoropyrimidine".
2. With metastatic breast cancer. Used as the first line of treatment with Paclitaxel.
3. When inoperable, accompanied by the presence of a large number of metastases or non-planar, non-small cell lung cancer - as the first line of treatment in combination with chemotherapy based on platinum drugs.
4. With progressing or metastatic cancer affecting kidney cells - as a means for primary therapy in conjunction with "Interferon alfa-2a."
5. With glioblastoma, together with radiotherapy and "Temozolomide" in patients who have just been diagnosed, in monotherapy or together with "Irinotecan" in patients with recurrence of glioblastoma or with the progression of cancer.
6. Patients who were diagnosed with "malignant formation of female genital organs", and with primary peritoneal cancer. In this case, it is recommended to prescribe Avastin as the first treatment therapy in conjunction with Carboplatinum and Paclitaxel.

In addition, the drug is prescribed in conjunction with "Carboplatinum" and "Gemcitabine" with a progressive disease or sensitive to platinum-based drugs with women with genital or peritoneal cancer who have not previously been treated with this drug or another type of VEGF inhibitor.

How correctly to enter "Avastin"?

"Avastin" (reviews of patients and doctors confirm this) - a good drug, but it must be properly administered, and only under the supervision of a doctor. It is strictly forbidden to enter a jet - only intravenously, and then as slowly as possible. The calculation is 5 mg per 1 kg of body weight once every two weeks.

The required amount of concentrate is diluted in 100 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride. The first dose is recommended to be administered one and a half hours after the chemotherapy, then the "Avastin" injection is done before or after the procedure. If the patient's first administration of the drug was uneventful, then it can be administered further within an hour, and all subsequent injections - for half an hour, but only if the second shot was transferred to the patient well.

The dose of the drug, even in the presence of undesirable effects, is not recommended to be reduced, if necessary, then the treatment is suspended or discontinued.

If a patient has metastatic colorectal cancer, the initially recommended dose is 5 mg per kg of body weight once every 14 days or 7.5 mg / kg, but every 21 days. If the second line of therapy, the dose is increased by 2 times.

If a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, in this case, as the first injection, it is recommended to count the drug at 10 mg / kg and inject every two weeks. Or three, but in this case, 15 mg per kg of body weight is taken.

If there are signs of progression of the pathology, the treatment is stopped.

With a common inoperable, metastatic or recurring non-cancerous or non-small-cell cancers in the lung, treatment is carried out together with chemotherapy with Pt drugs (no more than 6 cycles), and then the drug is used as a monotherapy.

If signs of progression of cancer appear, Avastin should be discontinued. Instruction for use says: if there is no progression, the calculation is 7.5 mg / kg every 14 days or the dose is doubled and injected every three weeks in addition to "Cisplatinum" or "Carboplatinum."

With renal cell cancer, the dose should not exceed 10 mg / kg once every 15 days. If there are signs of progression of the disease, then the treatment is stopped.

It is not necessary for the elderly to adjust the dose.

Avastin: overdose

An overdose of the drug happens most often if the patient was given a large dose of 20 mg per kg of body weight of the patient once every 14 days.

In this case, migraine attacks can appear in a rather complicated form, in addition, there is an increase in the undesirable effects described below. There is no special antidote, only symptomatic therapy is used.

Avastin: side effects

Avastin is a very good drug, it in most cases helps to slow the progression of a serious disease, but very often undesirable manifestations are observed in patients. In rare cases, they can be quite serious:

1. Perforation of the stomach and intestines.
2. Internal bleeding.
3. Arterial thromboembolism.
4. Blood pressure rises and proteinuria develops. Most likely, this is a consequence of the patient's dose-dependence.

In addition, patients who were prescribed Avastin, side effects are manifested and other symptoms:

• Deep vein thrombosis, complicated form of heart failure, supraventricular tachycardia, bleeding;
• Leukopenia, neutropenia, low hemoglobin, thrombocytopenia;
• Discomfort in the peritoneum, indigestion, blood in the feces, infectious rash in the mouth, bleeding gums, intestinal obstruction;
• Bleeding from the nose, lack of oxygen, pulmonary thromboembolism;
• Dry skin, dermatitis, a change in the skin tone;
• Loss of taste, a sharp decrease in body weight, syncope, migraine, stroke, a feeling of drowsiness;
• Visual impairment;
• Pain in the place where the drug is injected;
• Bleeding from the uterus, infection of the urinary tract, a feeling of rapid fatigue, dehydration.

Contraindications for use

Is "Avastin" suitable for everyone? The patients' reviews say that this is a wonderful drug, but still it also has contraindications to the application, and before starting therapy, the doctor should talk about them. The drug can not be administered in the following cases:

• If there is a particular intolerance of the main active substance;
• There are infectious diseases of the eyes and the periocular region;
• Intraocular inflammatory processes occur;
• Age to 18 years;
• Pregnancy and lactation.

In addition, if the patient has a chance of developing a stroke, the injection of Avastin is given only after the patient has been carefully examined and will come to the conclusion that the drug will be of benefit.

special instructions

The drug should be administered only by a doctor who has experience of performing intraocular injections.

After the product has been introduced, it is not recommended for some time to get behind the wheel of the car and perform work related to the mechanisms, and all because transient visual impairments can develop.

"Avastin" (the manufacturer indicates this in the instructions) should be stored only in the refrigerator, and in no case it can not be frozen. It is only available on prescription.

How does Avastin interact with other drugs?

The drug "Avastin" is incompatible with solutions of dextrose. Also, the drug may increase the risk of developing adverse reactions if taken in conjunction with such drugs:

• "Sunitinib malate" - development of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia may occur;
• Platinum and taxanes - possible development of complications of infectious pathologies, severe neutropenia, increased risk of death;
• "Panitumumab" and "Cetuximab" - increases the toxic effect of drugs and leads to death.

"Avastin" in ophthalmology

More recently, the press reported that the drug "Avastin" is used by ophthalmologists to treat eye diseases and gives very good results. But is it? What does the manufacturer say about this? Can this remedy not only stop the growth of the tumor, but also cure diseases of the eye?

Yes, in fact there is information that some patients, after hearing about the benefits of the drug for the eyes, decided and made a shot of "Avastin" in the vitreous, but the results were deplorable. The drug did not bring any cure, on the contrary, led to the fact that people just blinded. The company "Rosh" repeatedly stressed that "Avastin" in ophthalmology can not be used, its purpose is different.

The drug is designed to reduce the intensity of growth of blood vessels that feed malignant neoplasm, thereby reducing the intensity of tumor development. That's why before you start therapy and listen to unsupported recommendations, it is better to consult a doctor.

Avastin: analogues

As for whether there are substitutes that would have the same basic substance in their composition, then they do not have Avastin. Analogues on the mechanism of action are, and they also give good results in slowing the growth of blood vessels and the development of cancer tumors. To them it is possible to carry:

• "Arzerra".
• "Campas".
• "Rituximab."
• "MabThera" and others.

But it must be remembered that the doctor should choose the analog.

"Avastin": reviews of patients and doctors

"Avastin" (instructions for use confirm this) is the only drug that contains bevacizumab, it helps to slow the growth of blood vessels that feed the tumor and thereby slow the progression of the disease. Most of the doctors who observed the dynamics of the disease in a patient, say that after a couple of injections, there is a marked slowdown in tumor growth, the main thing is to correctly take the drug and not combine it with medicines that in combination can cause serious harm to the patient.

Summarizing, one can say for sure that Avastin (producer - F. Hoffmann-La Roche) is a wonderful one, which helps to prolong the life of patients with cancerous tumors. But only to apply it is necessary under the strict control of the doctor, otherwise the consequences can be irreversible and end sadly.