The anti-cancer drug Avastin has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the most common form of kidney cancer, the sixth approval for the blockbuster drug.

Avastin maker Genentech Inc. announced the approval for metastatic renal cell carcinoma on Sunday. Genentech, based in South San Francisco, produces Avastin in a plant in Oceanside and other locations. Genentech is a subsidiary of Swiss drug giant Roche Group.

The drug is already approved to treat certain kinds of colorectal, lung and breast cancers. It works by blocking the growth of new blood vessels, which reduces the supply of nutrients to the cancers.