(Reuters) -Pfizer and Japanese firm Astellas’ drug Padcev, combined with Merck’s Keytruda, lowered the risk of tumor recurrence, progression or death in patients suffering from a type of bladder cancer, the companies said on Saturday.

The late-stage trial studied patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who were ineligible for or declined chemotherapy with the commonly used cancer drug, cisplatin, and were given the combination before and after surgery.

The combination therapy showed improvement in event-free survival – which measures how long a patient remains free from disease recurrence and other complications – with a 60% reduction in the risk of tumor recurrence, progression or death for patients compared to surgery alone. It also improved overall survival, with a 50% red

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