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Darmstadt (dpa) - The Darmstadt-based pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck can bring its cancer immunotherapy Bavencio to the European market in a further application.
The European Commission approved the drug for the initial treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer, as the Dax company announced on Monday.
In a phase III trial relevant for approval, Bavencio showed a significant increase in overall survival in patients compared to standard treatments, it said.
The drug was approved for this indication in the USA last June.
Bavencio is a key drug in Merck's pharmaceutical pipeline and is already approved for the treatment of a number of cancers, including renal cell cancer and a rare, aggressive skin tumor.
Merck aims to generate sales of two billion euros with new drugs by 2022.
The group relies primarily on Bavencio and the multiple sclerosis tablet Mavenclad.
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Recently, however, Merck suffered a setback in an important drug candidate: The company canceled a study on the cancer immunotherapy bintrafusp alfa for the treatment of lung cancer.
For the funds, the Darmstadt-based company had agreed a partnership with the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, with the prospect of billions in milestone payments.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210125-99-161372 / 2
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