Dr Philip Rosenfeld developed off-label use of bevacizumab for age-related macular degeneration. Bevacizumab is used off-label to treat neovascular AMD. Adverse effects Bevacizumab inhibits the growth of blood vessels, which is part of the body's normal healing and maintenance. The body grows new blood vessels in wound healing, and as collateral circulation around blocked or atherosclerotic blood vessels. One concern is that bevacizumab will interfere with these normal processes, and worsen conditions like coronary artery disease or peripheral artery disease. The main side effects are hypertension and heightened risk of bleeding. Bowel perforation has been reported. Fatigue and infection are also common. In advanced lung cancer, less than half of patients qualify for treatment. Nasal septum perforation and renal thrombotic microangiopathy have been reported. In December 2010, the FDA warned of the risk of developing perforations in the body, including in the nose, stomach, and intestines. In 2013, Hoffmann-La Roche announced that the drug was associated with 52 cases of necrotizing fasciitis from 1997 to 2012, of which 17 patients died. About 2/3 of cases involved patients with colorectal cancer, or patients with gastrointestinal perforations or fistulas. These effects are largely avoided in ophthalmological use since the drug is introduced directly into the eye thus minimizing any effects on the rest of the body. Neurological adverse events include reversible posterior encephalopathy syndrome. Ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes are also possible. Protein in the urine occurs in approximately 20% of people. This does not require permanent discontinuation of the drug. Nonetheless, the presence of nephrotic syndrome necessitates permanent discontinuation of bevacizumab. Mechanism of action Bevacizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that blocks angiogenesis by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). VEGF-A is a growth factor protein that stimulates angiogenesis in a variety of diseases, especially in cancer. By binding VEGF-A, bevacizumab should act outside the cell, but in some cases (cervical and breast cancer) it is taken up by cells through constitutive endocytosis. Bevacizumab is the first available angiogenesis inhibitor in the United States. Chemistry Bevacizumab was originally derived from a mouse monoclonal antibody generated from mice immunized with the 165-residue form of recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor. It was humanized by retaining the binding region and replacing the rest with a human full light chain and a human truncated IgG1 heavy chain, with some other substitutions. The resulting plasmid was transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells which are