Two new studies on the effectiveness of Avastin on ovarian cancer have shown that the drug does slow the progression of cancer slightly but does not extend the lives of patients. This is the second time this year that the

drug has failed to pass muster.

In June of this year, an FDA panel rejected the use of Avastin for breast cancer while more studies are conducted.  A cash cow for Swiss drugmaker Roche, Avastin earns over a billion dollars a year for the manufacturer in the U.S. alone. The cost is approximately $8,000 per month, and without FDA approval insurance companies are unlikely to foot the bill for the costly treatment.

“The amount of improvement seems to be relatively modest,” said lead researcher Amit Oza, an oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. However small the gains are, patients and medical advocates are clamoring for approval, particularly for use in patients with advance stage ovarian cancer, where treatment options are limited.

Interestingly, earlier this month the European Commission approved Avastin for treatment—in conjunction with standard chemotherapy—of women with newly diagnosed, advanced ovarian cancer.

Approval was based on success in two trials, where women with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer used Avastin and chemotherapy and then continued on just Avastin, and lived quite a bit longer without their disease getting worse compared with those who received only chemotherapy.