Genentech Inc. said on Nov. 17th that its biologic drug Avastin, approved for treatment of colon and lung cancer, slowed the spread of brain cancer in a phase II study.

One in three patients a relapsed form of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, who took Avastin had their tumors remain stable for six months, according to data presented at the Society for Neuro-Oncology meeting in Dallas.

"These findings exceeded our expectations,'' said Hal Barron, Genentech's senior vice president of development. Data on whether Avastin helped patients with glioblastoma, which is notoriously hard to treat, actually live longer is expected to be available in 2008.

Avastin, which cuts off blood supply to tumors, is being tested in 300 clinical trials worldwide against 20 different types of cancer, according to Genentech.

Researchers said 167 patients with a relapsed form of glioblastoma participated in the trial, taking Avastin or a combination of the drug and a chemotherapy agent, irinotecan.

"The findings suggested that at 6 months, more patients had lived without their cancer advancing when Avastin was administered as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy, than what we would normally expect,'' said Timothy Cloughesy, director of the Neuro-Oncology program at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Genentech said it plans to discuss the results with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine next steps.