Merck announces KEYTRUDA, Padcev trial showed improvements in EFS

Merck (MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced results demonstrating KEYTRUDA plus Padcev reduced the risk of event-free survival, EFS, events by 60% and reduced the risk of death by 50% when given before and after surgery versus surgery alone, the current standard of care, in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, MIBC, who are not eligible for or declined cisplatin-based chemotherapy. These late-breaking data will be presented for the first time during a Presidential Symposium session at the European Society for Medical Oncology, ESMO, Congress 2025 and were selected for an official Press Briefing. After a median follow-up of 25.6 months, KEYTRUDA plus Padcev, as perioperative treatment, demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in EFS, the trial’s primary endpoint, reducing the risk of EFS events by 60% versus surgery alone in patients with MIBC who are not eligible for or declined cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Median EFS was not reached for the KEYTRUDA plus Padcev regimen versus 15.7 months for surgery alone.