BASEL: According to the world’s biggest maker of cancer drugs, Roche Holding AG, Avastin medicine has won European approval as the first treatment for patients suffering from advanced lung cancer.

The Basel, Switzerland based Roche said, Avastin may be used with chemotherapy for treating the patients with non-small cell lung cancer. This approval followed a recommendation by the European Union’s Committee for Human Medicinal Products last month.

Roche said that approval is based on data from two U.S. clinical trials.

Avastin belongs to cancer drugs’ group, known as targeted therapies. These medicines are designed to cause fewer side effects than chemotherapy.

Avastin and the breast cancer treatment Herceptin – developed by Roche’s U.S. partner Genentech Inc. – are helping the company grow faster than drugmakers like Novartis AG.