EU agency backs Roche's Avastin for ovarian cancer

ZURICH, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Friday European regulators had adopted a positive opinion of its drug Avastin for the treatment for of women with advanced ovarian cancer.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a positive opinion for Avastin - known generically as bevacizumab - in combination with chemotherapy as a treatment for women with recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer.

Almost 230,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, many of them with advanced disease that returns after initial treatment.

(Reporting by Caroline Copley)