On Feb. 26, 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it had approved the first antiangiogenic drug for cancer, Avastin developed by Genentech.

Avastin® (bevacizumab) is the first biologic medicine (not a chemotherapy) approved by the FDA designed to inhibit angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels. This process helps a tumor grow and spread by connecting the tumor to the body’s blood supply.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women in the United States and the second leading overall cause of cancer deaths.