Drug Detail

Information about Gleevec + Avastin

Generic Name	Imatinib + Bevacizumab
IND	STI571 + bevacizumab
Brand Name (US)	Gleevec + Avastin
Manufacturer	Novartis and Genentech
Drug Type	Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor and Monoclonal antibody
Delivery	Oral (imatinib) Intravenous (bevacizumab)
Approval Status	Both are approved. A trial of this combination in GIST was terminated due to lack of recruitment.
Indications
Overall Strategy	KIT Protein Based
Strategy	Block KIT Block tumor blood vessel growth
Drug Category	KIT/PDGFRA inhibitor+ VEGF inhibitor (antibody)

Imatinib (Gleevec) is a potent KIT inhibitor and is the approved front line drug for GIST.
Avastin is an approved monoclonal antibody that targets the VEGF pathway. It has been shown to extend survival in colon cancer.
It is hoped that the combination will provide more a more potent antiangiogenic effect than either drug alone. In addition, imatinib provides a potent direct antitumor effect against GIST tumors through it's inhibition of KIT.