User:Mr. Ibrahem/Bevacizumab

Bevacizumab, sold under the brand name Avastin, is a medication used to treat a number of types of cancers and a specific eye disease. For cancer it is given by slow injection into a vein and used for colon cancer, lung cancer, glioblastoma, and renal-cell carcinoma. For age-related macular degeneration it is given by injection into the eye.

Common side effects when used for cancer include nose bleeds, headache, high blood pressure, and rash. Other severe side effects include gastrointestinal perforation, bleeding, allergic reactions, blood clots, and an increased risk of infection. When used for eye disease side effects can include vision loss and retinal detachment. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that functions as an angiogenesis inhibitor. It works by slowing the growth of new blood vessels by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), in other words anti–VEGF therapy.

Bevacizumab was approved for medical use in the United States in 2004. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is listed for its use in treating eye disease. The wholesale cost in the developing world is about US$638.54 per vial. This dose in the United Kingdom cost the NHS about £243 in 2015.