Roche offers new pay scheme for Avastin in Germany

* Move should give access to those who really benefit from Avastin

* Avastin approved in four different cancer types in Europe

* Different doses needed depending on cancer type

ZURICH, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche is offering a new payment plan in Germany for its cancer drug Avastin to help healthcare authorities there keep costs under control at a time when governments everywhere are trying to put a lid on spending.

Roche is now offering a so-called pay-for-performance scheme to both hospitals and public insurers in Germany, which would involve returning the costs of the drug to payers if the drug did not work.

Roche is taking this step now because until now such contracts were not possible in the German healthcare system, Daniel Grotzky, a spokesman for Roche, said.

Avastin is approved in four different types of cancer and different doses are necessary for treatment success depending on the disease, Grotzky said.

The medical community is split about how effective Avastin, which works by starving the blood supply to tumours, really is. It has been shown to have very good results in some patients, but not such positive results in others.

By offering the pay-for-performance scheme, Roche is trying to develop a new way of making sure the drug gets to those who are benefiting from it.

In Europe, Avastin is currently approved in colorectal, lung, renal and breast cancer, and it is likely to get European approval in ovarian cancer. (Reporting by Katie Reid)