Bristol Myers' Opdivo stages comeback in bladder cancer, teeing up 2 'Merck' showdowns

After one combination’s failure, Bristol Myers Squibb is celebrating a new triumph in bladder cancer. But a showdown with the two “Merck” companies likely lies ahead.

Adding Opdivo to chemotherapy significantly extended the lives of patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer who are eligible for cisplatin-based chemo, a phase 3 study has shown. The combo also did better at staving off tumor progression than chemo alone, BMS said Tuesday.