22 May 2013 - 22 May 2013 - UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued today final guidance not recommending Swiss Roche's (VTX:ROG) Avastin (bevacizumab) as a therapy of advanced ovarian cancer, including fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer.

Specifically, the agency adopted a negative opinion regarding the use of bevacizumab plus paclitaxel and carboplatin as a first treatment for advanced ovarian cancer, as well as bevacizumab plus carboplatin and gemcitabine as a therapy for the first recurrence of advanced ovarian cancer if it has returned six months or more after initial treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy (platinum-sensitive disease).

According to NICE, bevacizumab is not cost-efficient for both of the aforementioned indications.