By Isaac Taylor


Astellas Pharma Inc. and Seagen Inc. announced Wednesday that the European Commission has approved a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer.

The approval is for patients who have previously received a platinum-containing chemotherapy and a PD-1/L1 inhibitor.

Urothelial cancer is the most common type of bladder cancer, comprising 90% of cases. Globally, roughly 573,000 new cases of bladder cancer and 212,000 deaths are reported annually.

The EC approval is supported by data from a global phase three trial that showed an overall survival benefit compared with chemotherapy.


Write to Isaac Taylor at isaac.taylor@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-13-22 1216ET