An outside panel of experts hosted by the Food and Drug Administration unanimously concluded that Roche Holding AG’s Avastin does not show benefits on breast cancer patients.

The experts voted 13-0 that Avastin failed to show it can slow down the growth of tumor and extend the life of patients as claimed.

Avastin was approved by the FDA in 2008 as a metastatic breast cancer treatment after test results showed that the drug slowed the growth of tumors caused by breast cancer in a number of early stage cancer patients.

In a follow-up study what compared breast cancer patients who are treated with Avastin with chemotherapy and patients who are treated by chemotherapy alone, the results revealed that Avastin did not extend the life of breast cancer patients.

On reviewing the follow-up study of Avastin, the federal experts concluded that the health risks and side effects of the drug outweigh the potential benefits of using the drug along with chemotherapy.

Whether Avastin’s approval as a breast cancer drug should be withdrawn will be voted by the FDA panel today after reviewing the results of the studies.