France moves to reimburse off-label Avastin

The French National Assembly voted to issue a temporary recommendation for use (RTU) for Avastin bevacizumab in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and allow reimbursement in the indication. An RTU is issued for off-label use of a marketed medication and lasts three years. The French Senate will review and vote on the proposal, which is an amendment to the French social security budget bill, on July 15 and 16.

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) called the proposal a "material breach" of EU regulatory framework. EFPIA denounced a similar decision by the Italian Medicines Agency last month to reimburse off-label Avastin use (see BioCentury Extra, June 11). ...