The fake versions of Swiss drugmaker Roche's widely used cancer drug Avastin are labeled as Altuzan, which is the brand name that Avastin is sold under in Turkey, and do not contain the drug's active ingredient, bevacizumab.

"Packaging or vials found in the U.S. that claim to be Roche's Altuzan with lot number B6021 should be considered counterfeit," FDA said.

The latest discovery follows FDA's notification in February about another counterfeit product that was labeled as Avastin.

"Roche and Genentech were made aware by the FDA that the agency has discovered additional product in the United States that the FDA has identified as counterfeit," said Charlotte Arnold, a spokeswoman for Roche's Genentech unit.

She said Genentech had no further details on the scope of the lastest case and said FDA was leading the investigation.

FDA said medical practices obtained the counterfeit Altuzan, as well as other unapproved products, through foreign sources.

In the earlier case involving phony Avastin, FDA in February said it notified 19 oncology practices they had purchased drugs, including counterfeit Avastin, from a supplier not approved by the agency.

(Reporting By Susan Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry)

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