Some ethical considerations for the 'off-label' use of drugs such as Avastin

摘要

Anyone who has attended ophthalmology conferences recently cannot fail to notice the enthusiasm of retinal specialists in adopting the new treatment, Avastin. Avastin is a humanised monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor: an important growth factor for angiogen-esis. The labelled indication of Avastin is for the treatment of colon cancer. Its use in the eye is therefore off label; no robust scientific data exist on its safety and efficacy; all the positive reports have short follow-ups. The clamour to introduce this treatment raises several ethical issues.