Pfizer's immuno-oncology drug Bavencio (developed along with Merck) has been granted accelerated approval to treat advanced bladder cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This marks the second such approval in less than two months for the treatment, which AstraZeneca received last week.
Bavencio (avelumab) was approved for patients with locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer whose disease progressed during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy or within 12 months of chemotherapy treatment before or after surgery. developed along with Germany's Merck KGaA. The drug had previously been approved to treat rare skin cancer Merkel cell carcinoma.
According to Merck, the wholesale price for Bavencio based on an average bladder cancer patient will be about $2,000 a month less than what AstraZeneca will charge for its Imfinzi treatment.
Read the Reuters report