(Reuters) -Bristol Myers Squibb Co said on Tuesday its blockbuster cancer immunotherapy, Opdivo, in combination with chemotherapy extended survival and helped patients with a type of bladder cancer live disease-free in a late-stage trial.
Opdivo met the dual main goal in combination with chemotherapy followed by the drug alone, in the study evaluating it against standard-of-care treatment, the company said.
The drug was being studied in patients with types of urothelial carcinoma who are eligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
Bladder cancer is the 10th most common form of the disease in the world, with more than 573,000 new cases diagnosed annually, according to the company.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
