Merck, Moderna claim encouraging melanoma vaccine trial results
US pharmaceutical firms Merck and Moderna announced on Wednesday encouraging results from a trial of their experimental vaccine against melanoma, potentially clearing the way for approval. The vaccine, called intismeran autogene, showed “statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements” for skin cancer patients when used with Merck’s Keytruda treatment, the companies said in a…
Merck and Moderna announced on Wednesday that their experimental melanoma vaccine, intismeran autogene, showed promising results in a recent trial. When combined with Merck's Keytruda treatment, the vaccine demonstrated "statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements" for patients with skin cancer. Unlike traditional vaccines, this therapeutic vaccine aims to enhance the patient's immune system to target the tumor.
The news had a positive impact on the stock prices of both companies, with Moderna shares surging more than 90% to approximately US$120 and Merck's shares increasing by 10%. The companies highlighted this as the first positive Phase 3 outcome for a personalized neoantigen therapy and an mRNA-based cancer treatment. They did not disclose specific study details or the timeline for FDA approval.
Melanoma is a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer, with over 330,000 new cases diagnosed globally in 2022. Moderna's CEO, Stephane Bancel, expressed excitement about turning the once aspirational concept of personalized mRNA treatments into reality.
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