Investorsยท2025-10-18 14:30Core Insights - The joint study by Merck, Pfizer, and Astellas Pharma shows that the combination of drugs Padcev and Keytruda significantly reduces the risk of recurrence, progression, or death in patients with aggressive bladder cancer by 60% [1][2][6] Drug Mechanisms - Padcev is an antibody-drug conjugate that targets cancer cells with toxic chemicals, minimizing damage to healthy tissue [2] - Keytruda works by targeting PD-1 cells, allowing the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells [3] Study Details - The study focused on patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who cannot tolerate cisplatin-based chemotherapy [4] - Patients receiving Padcev and Keytruda had a median event-free survival that has not yet been reached, indicating longer survival without relapse or death compared to those who underwent surgery alone, who experienced their first event at a median of 15.7 months [5][6] Survival Rates - In the surgery group, the median overall survival was 41.7 months, while it has not been reached for the Padcev and Keytruda group [6] - Approximately 80% of patients treated with Padcev and Keytruda were alive after two years, compared to about 60% for those who had surgery alone [7] Pathologic Complete Response - The study found that 57.1% of patients in the Padcev/Keytruda group achieved pathologic complete response, compared to only 8.6% in the surgery group [7][8] Side Effects - All patients reported side effects, with the most common being skin reactions; the surgery group had a lower side effect rate of 64.8% [9] Future Aspirations - The companies aim to provide treatment options that may prevent the need for surgery and delay disease progression, focusing on improving patient outcomes in urothelial cancer [10][11]