Express continues to improve the survival of bladder cancer patients, and the long-term efficacy of the German Merck/Pfizer PD-L1 inhibitor is gratifying

▎WuXi AppTec Content Team Editor A few days ago, EMD Serono, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA in Germany, announced that Bavencio (avelumab), a PD-L1 inhibitor jointly developed with Pfizer, is a first-line maintenance treatment for urothelial carcinoma (UC).
) showed positive long-term efficacy in a phase 3 clinical trial
.

At a median follow-up of 38 months, the combination of Bavencio as first-line maintenance therapy and BSC improved median overall survival (OS) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC compared with best supportive care (BSC) alone ) was extended by 8.
8 months
.

Bladder cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the world.
In 2018, more than 500,000 new cases of bladder cancer were diagnosed, and about 200,000 people died of bladder cancer worldwide
.

UC accounts for about 90% of all bladder cancers
.

It becomes more difficult to treat as the disease progresses
.

Platinum-based chemotherapy is currently the first-line standard of care for patients with advanced disease
.

However, most patients experienced disease progression within 9 months of starting treatment
.

For patients with advanced UC, the five-year survival rate was only 6.
4%
.

Bavencio is a humanized anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody
.

Bavencio has been shown to stimulate adaptive and innate immune function in preclinical models
.

Preclinical studies have shown that by blocking the interaction of PD-L1 with the PD-1 receptor, Bavencio removes the inhibition of T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune responses
.

At a median follow-up of 38 months, this phase 3 trial showed a consistent overall survival (OS) benefit in patients receiving Bavencio/BSC plus first-line maintenance therapy over patients receiving BSC alone, in all patients The specific results are as follows: median OS was 23.
8 months (95% CI, 19.
9 to 28.
8) in the Bavencio/BSC group and 15.
0 months (95% CI, 13.
5 to 18.
2) in the control group (HR = 0.
76; 95% CI, 0.
631 to 0.
915)
.

43.
7% (95% CI, 38.
2%-49.
0%) of patients in the Bavencio/BSC group were alive at 30 months compared with 33.
5% (95% CI, 28.
4%-38.
7%) in the control group
.

In addition, in the patient population with tumors identified as PD-L1 positive (n=358): median OS was 30.
9 months (95% CI, 24.
0-39.
8) in the Bavencio/BSC group and 18.
5 months (95%) in the control group CI, 14.
1-24.
2) (HR=0.
69; 95% CI, 0.
521-0.
901)
.

More than half (51.
3%; 95% CI, 43.
7%-58.
4%) of patients in the Bavencio/BSC group were alive at 30 months compared with 38.
5% (95% CI, 30.
9%-46.
1%) in the control group
.

In terms of safety, Bavencio was consistent with previous studies, and no new safety signals were found
.

"Patients with locally advanced and metastatic UC have poor five-year survival rates and high recurrence rates, requiring additional agents to maintain the benefits of chemotherapy and improve survival," said
Dr.

The continued improvement in patient survival shown in this trial further supports the use of Bavencio as maintenance therapy in patients whose disease has not progressed during first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, and again demonstrates our promise to further evaluate Bavencio in advanced bladder cancer
.

"Reference: [1] Long-Term Follow-Up Data Reinforce Continued Overall Survival Benefit of Bavencio® (avelumab) First-Line Maintenance Treatment in Patients with Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma.
Retrieved February 18, 2022, from http://media.
emdserono.
com/2022-02-18-bavencio-bladder-100-follow-up-ASCOGU
_
_ WuXi AppTec's position does not mean that WuXi AppTec supports or opposes the views in the article
.

This article is not a treatment plan recommendation
.

If you need treatment plan guidance, please go to a regular hospital for treatment
.