Bevacizumab
FDA warned today that a counterfeit version of bevacizumab 400 mg/16 mL may have been purchased and used by some medical practices in the United States. The counterfeit version is labeled as Avastin, manufactured by Roche, but does not contain the medicine's active ingredient. Packages or vials may be counterfeit if they are labeled with Roche as the manufacturer or display batch numbers that start with B6010, B6011, or B86017.
FDA noted that 19 medical practices in the United States purchased unapproved cancer medicines from Quality Specialty Products, a foreign supplier that may also be known as Montana Health Care Solutions. Volunteer Distribution in Gainesboro, Tennessee is a distributor of Quality Specialty Products products.
The only FDA-approved version of bevacizumab for use in the United States is marketed by Genentech; the FDA-approved version does not include the Roche logo on the packaging or vials. FDA recommended that medical practices that have obtained products from Volunteer Distribution and Quality Specialty Products should stop using them and contact the agency.
