Drug maker Genentech Inc. seeks regulatory approval for its cancer drug Avastin in patients with an aggressive form of brain cancer, a statement released by the company reveals. The drug is already used in treating lung cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer.

Glioblastoma is the most common type of brain cancer in the United States. In more than 90 percent of cases, the cancer returns after initial treatment, and patients typically survive between three and six months after that time.

“There has been no substantial improvement in the treatment of glioblastoma in more than 20 years. This us a devastating disease and people with glioblastoma desperately need new treatment options,” said Dr. Hal Barron, Genentech’s chief medical officer in the statement.

Avastin is based on anti-angiogenesis mechanism, designed to combat cancer by preventing the formation of blood vessels that supply tumours. The drug simply interferes with the blood supply of a tumour, cutting its ability to grow and spread in the body.

The company’s request is based on a study involving 167 patients with glioblastoma, which found that 43 percent of those taking Avastin showed no signs of their cancer worsening after six months. Also, the tumors decreased in size by at least half for 28 percent of the patients. The results were significantly better compared with current treatments, in which only 15 percent of glioblastoma patients live six months without their cancer worsening. Also, less than 10 percent see a 50-percent or better decrease in the size of their tumors, the company said in its statement.

Genentech expects to start a late-stage study of Avastin in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma in the first half of 2009.