diabetic retanopathy

i have diabetic retanopathy. my dr., matthew farber, has moved me from laser surgery to injections of avastin. my insurance says that avastin is not an approved treatment and has denied any payments. is avastin fda approved for my disease?? is dr.farber's treatment the recommended treatment?? how can i fight my insurance company on this issue?? thank you

[berrywoo]

Avastin is NOT FDA approved, for anything other than as a cancer treatment. However, the vitreo-retinal ophthalmologists use it "off-label" to treat AMD and diabetic retinopathy. Only Lucentis has been approved for ophthalmic use and only for AMD NOT diabetic retinopathy. Although, these drugs seem to help diabetic retinopathy patients, they have yet to be FDA approved.
Unfortunately the only options available to you are to pay out of pocket for the Avastin (see if your Dr.'s office can work out a payment plan) or go with the laser.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

Strange that Medicare pays for Avastin injection for diabetic retinopathy.  Many of my patients with private insurance (which I do not accept as payment in full) will not pay for Avastin.  I usually give then a discount.

Dr. O.