Roche warns of counterfeit cancer drug in US

(AP) -- The maker of the best-selling cancer drug Avastin is warning doctors and patients about counterfeit vials of the product distributed in the U.S.

Roche's Genentech unit says the fake products do not contain the key ingredient in Avastin, which is used to treat cancers of the colon, lung, kidney and .

Doctors who suspect they have received counterfeit drug should contact the or Roche.

The company says the counterfeit products do not have Genentech printed on the packaging, which appears on all FDA-approved packages of the drug. Additionally, real Avastin contains a six-digit lot number with no letters.

The company believes drugs labeled with the following lot numbers are fake: B86017, B6011 and B6010.

©2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Citation: Roche warns of counterfeit cancer drug in US (2012, February 14) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-roche-counterfeit-cancer-drug.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

FDA says breast cancer drug did not extend lives

 shares

Feedback to editors