Risk of death higher with Avastin than chemo alone

CHICAGO Feb 1 (Reuters) - People who took Roche's (ROG.VX) popular cancer drug Avastin with chemotherapy had a 46 percent higher risk of dying from drug-related side effects than people who got chemotherapy alone, researchers said on Tuesday.

But they said the overall rate of deaths caused by the drug when used with chemotherapy was still low at 2.5 percent, and that the benefits need to be weighed against the risks. Roche's Genentech unit said the analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, includes data on cancers in which the drug is not approved and should not be used.

Avastin, the world's best-selling cancer medicine with annual sales of $6 billion, has been approved for fighting several different cancers, including advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, advanced colorectal and renal cell cancers. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuyse; Editing by Jackie Frank)