The 2010 ASCO Conference and Avastin clinical trial results

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Hissy_Fitz
Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
Yesterday, Genentech announced results from a Phase III study of Avastin (bevacizumab) that showed women with previously untreated advanced ovarian cancer who received Avastin in combination with chemotherapy, followed by the continuation of Avastin alone, had a 39 percent improvement in the likelihood of living longer without the disease worsening (progression-free survival or PFS) compared to chemotherapy alone. An assessment of safety noted adverse events consistent with those observed in pivotal trials of Avastin. The study (known as GOG 0218), was conducted by a network of researchers led by the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG). To learn more go to http://www.gene.com/gene/news/press-releases/display.do?method=detail&id=12 807

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  • tmc576
    tmc576 Member Posts: 60 Member
    #2
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    This treatment
    This the treatment plan my mom is supposed to receive. That sounds promising! Thanks for the update.

    Her exact plan is:
    Round 1 - carbo/taxotere
    Round 2 - 6 - carbo/taxotere/avastin
    Followed by avastin given every 3 weeks for a year
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #3
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    tmc576 said:

    This treatment
    This the treatment plan my mom is supposed to receive. That sounds promising! Thanks for the update.

    Her exact plan is:
    Round 1 - carbo/taxotere
    Round 2 - 6 - carbo/taxotere/avastin
    Followed by avastin given every 3 weeks for a year

    I hope your mom becomes a
    I hope your mom becomes a poster child for Avastin! Is she part of the clinical trial?

    I think one of the biggest issues right now is the cost of Avastin (incredibly high - as much as $50,000 per month) and insurance coverage. The FDA has not approved Avastin for OVCA, but doctors are free to prescribe it "off label". The only catch is, will the patient's insurance pay for it?

    Medicare, which is the primary (and often only) coverage for OVCA patients will pay for Avstin in some states, but not all. It depends on the criteria used by the company that administers Medicare benefits for a particular region. Texas (and other Southwestern states) are under Trailblazers, and they do not cover Avastin for Ovarian Cancer. (Medicaid coverage also varies state-by-state, for those of you who might be on Medicaid and wondering about Avastin.)

    My primary is Medicare, but I have a secondary (UHC) and I can't seem to get a straight answer - will they pay for Avastin if Medicare denies it, or not. That's the first problem. The second is that my UHC coverage has a lifetime limit and a 20% copay. Twenty percent of 50K is $10,000 per month. A year of Avastin would cost over $100,000 and seriously impact mine/my husband's financial future.

    I think there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

    Carlene
  • tmc576
    tmc576 Member Posts: 60 Member
    #4
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    Hissy_Fitz said:

    I hope your mom becomes a
    I hope your mom becomes a poster child for Avastin! Is she part of the clinical trial?

    I think one of the biggest issues right now is the cost of Avastin (incredibly high - as much as $50,000 per month) and insurance coverage. The FDA has not approved Avastin for OVCA, but doctors are free to prescribe it "off label". The only catch is, will the patient's insurance pay for it?

    Medicare, which is the primary (and often only) coverage for OVCA patients will pay for Avstin in some states, but not all. It depends on the criteria used by the company that administers Medicare benefits for a particular region. Texas (and other Southwestern states) are under Trailblazers, and they do not cover Avastin for Ovarian Cancer. (Medicaid coverage also varies state-by-state, for those of you who might be on Medicaid and wondering about Avastin.)

    My primary is Medicare, but I have a secondary (UHC) and I can't seem to get a straight answer - will they pay for Avastin if Medicare denies it, or not. That's the first problem. The second is that my UHC coverage has a lifetime limit and a 20% copay. Twenty percent of 50K is $10,000 per month. A year of Avastin would cost over $100,000 and seriously impact mine/my husband's financial future.

    I think there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

    Carlene

    Don't get me started
    Carlene I cannot tell you how infuriated I get when medical decisions get made based on what an insurance company will or will not pay for. Especially when a drug can PROLONG SOMEONES LIFE!! I don't get it. I wish there was some way to help you get the answers you need! I know you mentioned in another post about someone going to a different state to get Avastin - is that an option for you?

    On a lesser scale, we just had to jump through hoops with my mom's ins to get one of her anti nausea meds covered. Come on - who are they to say whether she needs it or not - they are NOT DOCTORS!

    I can't get my ins to pay for a med for my type 2 diabetes, that really works for me. They say there are similar less exp drugs that i can take. The other drugs make me extremely sick. Ugghhh

    Did I mention I hate ins companies?

    BTW, as far as I know, my mom is not part of a clinical trial. I would assume that they would have to get her permission.
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #5
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    tmc576 said:

    Don't get me started
    Carlene I cannot tell you how infuriated I get when medical decisions get made based on what an insurance company will or will not pay for. Especially when a drug can PROLONG SOMEONES LIFE!! I don't get it. I wish there was some way to help you get the answers you need! I know you mentioned in another post about someone going to a different state to get Avastin - is that an option for you?

    On a lesser scale, we just had to jump through hoops with my mom's ins to get one of her anti nausea meds covered. Come on - who are they to say whether she needs it or not - they are NOT DOCTORS!

    I can't get my ins to pay for a med for my type 2 diabetes, that really works for me. They say there are similar less exp drugs that i can take. The other drugs make me extremely sick. Ugghhh

    Did I mention I hate ins companies?

    BTW, as far as I know, my mom is not part of a clinical trial. I would assume that they would have to get her permission.

    Yes, "moving" (meeting
    Yes, "moving" (meeting technical residency guidelines) to Kansas City is an option for me, or California, for that matter. I have great in-laws in both states, and I know that Medicare in CA covers Avastin (have not checked Missouri yet).

    The woman in my support group is living temporarily (I presume) in an independent living facility for seniors. It's not cheap, but it's a great deal less than $10,000 per month.

    I can "live" in a similar place in KC for about $1800 per month. Or I can "live" with my husband's brother and his wife. Luckily, we have flight benefits, so we can travel back and forth for free.

    Still and all....it's a PITA and I seriously dislike the whole deceit element. I am not a person who takes cheating, lying, etc lightly.

    Carlene
  • tmc576
    tmc576 Member Posts: 60 Member
    #6
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    Hissy_Fitz said:

    Yes, "moving" (meeting
    Yes, "moving" (meeting technical residency guidelines) to Kansas City is an option for me, or California, for that matter. I have great in-laws in both states, and I know that Medicare in CA covers Avastin (have not checked Missouri yet).

    The woman in my support group is living temporarily (I presume) in an independent living facility for seniors. It's not cheap, but it's a great deal less than $10,000 per month.

    I can "live" in a similar place in KC for about $1800 per month. Or I can "live" with my husband's brother and his wife. Luckily, we have flight benefits, so we can travel back and forth for free.

    Still and all....it's a PITA and I seriously dislike the whole deceit element. I am not a person who takes cheating, lying, etc lightly.

    Carlene

    Check this out
    http://www.genentechaccesssolutions.com/avastin/patient/index.jsp

    Apparently Genetech (the co that makes avastin) offers financial support if you meet certain requirements. One of the requirements say that it must be a FDA approved treatment, but with the new results, maybe they will work with people. There is contact info, etc. Maybe it's worth a try.
  • HeartofSoul
    HeartofSoul Member Posts: 729 Member
    #7
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    I guess the post I submitted
    I guess the post I submitted yesterday on Avastin results from conference (10:05am Sun June 6th) was missed, thanks for reposting

    I had a different source/link
    http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-06-07-ovarian07_ST_N.htm
  • seb44
    seb44 Member Posts: 4
    #8
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    Hissy_Fitz said:

    Yes, "moving" (meeting
    Yes, "moving" (meeting technical residency guidelines) to Kansas City is an option for me, or California, for that matter. I have great in-laws in both states, and I know that Medicare in CA covers Avastin (have not checked Missouri yet).

    The woman in my support group is living temporarily (I presume) in an independent living facility for seniors. It's not cheap, but it's a great deal less than $10,000 per month.

    I can "live" in a similar place in KC for about $1800 per month. Or I can "live" with my husband's brother and his wife. Luckily, we have flight benefits, so we can travel back and forth for free.

    Still and all....it's a PITA and I seriously dislike the whole deceit element. I am not a person who takes cheating, lying, etc lightly.

    Carlene

    GOG study includes avastin
    I have a relative in an o c study and each group is receiving Avastin in addition to taxol and carboplatin or cisplatin. IV and IP are used in 2 groups and 1 group is IV only. The Gynecologic Oncology Group designed this study. If you want Avastin you should check with them. Good Luck and Best Wishes to all of you who post here.

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