Merck Wins EU Approval for Keytruda-Padcev Combination in Bladder Cancer

07:16 AM EDT, 10/21/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Merck (MRK) said Wednesday that the European Commission approved its drug, Keytruda, combined with Padcev, as treatment before and after surgery for certain adults with operable muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The company said the approval covers all 27 European Union member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The approval is based on the phase 3 trial, in which the combination reduced the risk of disease progression, recurrence or death by 47% and the risk of death by 35% compared with chemotherapy and surgery in patients eligible for cisplatin, the company said. The combination also achieved a pathological complete response rate of 55.8%, compared with 32.5% for chemotherapy, Merck said. Commercial availability in individual countries will depend partly on national reimbursement procedures, the company said.