Avastin bevacizumab regulatory update

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to reverse its September decision to slash reimbursement for ocular uses of Genentech's Avastin bevacizumab. CMS had reduced reimbursement to ophthalmologists for low doses of the cancer drug for use off-label to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other conditions to about $7, based on the unit cost of the drug. The reimbursement did not take into consideration fees charged by compounding pharmacies that bring the acquisition cost to about $30. The change, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2010, will result in a reimbursement of $40-$50, so physicians will not lose money every time they inject Avastin into a patient's eye, Kohl spokesperson Ashley Glacel told BioCentury. ...