WASHINGTON — The maker of the widely prescribed cancer drug Avastin is warning doctors and patients about counterfeit vials of the product that have been distributed in the U.S.
Roche’s Genentech unit said Tuesday that the fake products do not contain the key ingredient in Avastin, which is used to treat cancers of the colon, lung, kidney and brain. The drug is a huge money-maker for Roche, generating about $6 billion a year.
A spokeswoman said the counterfeit drug has been distributed to health care facilities in the U.S., though it’s unclear how many vials are in circulation or where they may be concentrated.
The company is working with the Food and Drug Administration to track down the counterfeit vials and analyze their contents.
Avastin is administered in doctor’s offices and hospitals.
The counterfeit products do not have “Genentech” printed on their packaging, which appears on all FDA-approved cartons and vials of the drug. Additionally, legitimate Avastin contains a six-digit lot number with no letters.
All the packaging text should be in English.
The company believes drugs labeled with the following lot numbers may be fake: B86017, B6011 and B6010.
Genentech was alerted to the problem by foreign health regulators, and company officials believe the counterfeits were imported, though they could not specify from which country.
