Blue Shield Plans to Drop Avastin Coverage

Blue Shield of California has announced that it will drop Avastin as a covered breast cancer drug effective October 17. The move means that many people using the drug to fight breast cancer will have to either stop using Avastin, or pay the approximate $88,000 annual cost themselves.

The move follows an FDA panel hearing in June that concluded Avastin was not useful in many cases. Many patients who use the drug, and doctors who prescribe it, say it can add months to the lives of terminally ill patients.

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