| |DECEMBER 20258MERCK'S KEYTRUDA COMBO WINS FDA OK FOR MIBC TREATMENTABBOTT TO ACQUIRE EXACT SCIENCES IN $21B CANCER TEST DEALAbbott and Exact Sciences revealed a definitive agreement for Abbott to purchase Exact Sciences, allowing it to enter and take the lead in rapidly growing cancer diagnostics sectors, reaching millions more individuals.According to the agreement, Exact Sciences shareholders will obtain $105 for each common share, which signifies a total equity value of about $21 billion. The companies aim to speed up innovation, broaden access to transformative diagnostics, and assist more individuals in identifying and managing cancer at its initial, most treatable phases. Exact Sciences prioritizes the early identification of cancer and endorsing tailored therapies.Exact Sciences' extensive range of products aids patients and their healthcare providers throughout the entire process of a cancer diagnosis. The firm excels in cancer screening, precision oncology, and genetic testing, aiding in the early detection of cancer, informing treatment choices, and tracking for recurrence.Its product range features the Cologuard test, a top noninvasive colorectal cancer screening choice; Oncotype DX, which aids personalized treatment choices for breast cancer patients; Oncodetect, which detects molecular residual disease (MRD) to evaluate recurrence risk and inform follow-up care; and Cancerguard, a blood test for early detection of multiple cancers. Around 20 million individuals worldwide, comprising 2 million Americans, receive a cancer diagnosis annually. These figures are anticipated to increase in the future because of population expansion, aging, and various other influencing elements. POTOP STORIESMerck has secured a major win today as the US FDA approved KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX, used with Padcev, for adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who cannot receive cisplatin.This marks the first time a PD-1 inhibitor has been cleared in combination with an antibody-drug conjugate for this group, opening a new path where options have long been limited.The approval is built on findings from the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-905 (EV-303) trial, run with Pfizer and Astellas. The data is striking. Patients on the KEYTRUDAPadcev regimen saw a 60 percent drop in the risk of event-free survival events compared with surgery alone. Overall survival improved by 50 percent. And 57 percent reached a pathologic complete response, far ahead of the 9 percent seen with surgery alone."These approvals could be practice-changing for patients who previously had no options beyond surgery," said Dr Matthew Galsky, KEYNOTE-905 study investigator at Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center. "Half of MIBC patients face cancer recurrence even after bladder removal, and many cannot receive cisplatin. This therapy offers hope where there was none."Merck emphasizes flexibility in administration, allowing patients to receive immunotherapy intravenously or subcu-taneously. "Our commitment to patients drives innovation," said Dr Marjorie Green, senior VP, Merck Research Labora-tories. "We are proud to provide new, life-saving options for those in need."Merck highlights that treatment can be given intravenous-ly or subcutaneously, giving clinics more flexibility. The com-pany also notes the need for close monitoring, as KEYTRUDA and Padcev can trigger serious immune-mediated reactions, infusion issues, and fetal risks during pregnancy.The KEYNOTE-905 trial enrolled 344 cisplatin-ineligi-ble patients. Participants received three cycles before sur-gery, then up to 14 cycles of adjuvant KEYTRUDA and six of Padcev. PO
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