Merck, Moderna claim 'promising' skin cancer vaccine results in key trial

Merck and Moderna revealed promising results from a melanoma vaccine trial on Wednesday, according to their statement. The experimental vaccine, intismeran autogene, demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements for skin cancer patients when used alongside Merck's Keytruda treatment. This marks the first positive Phase 3 readout for an individualized neoantigen therapy and an mRNA-based cancer therapy, both representing cutting-edge advancements in treatment technology.

These therapies employ messenger RNA technology, which has already proven highly effective against severe forms of COVID-19. The companies did not disclose specific details of the study results or the timeline for potential FDA approval. Notably, melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer, was diagnosed in over 330,000 people worldwide in 2022.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel stated that they are turning the vision of creating personalized mRNA treatments for individual patients' cancers into reality. Premarket trading of Moderna shares increased by approximately 65% on the New York Stock Exchange in anticipation of the official results. Detailed efficacy and safety data from the trial were not reported.

The therapy has been granted expedited review designations by both the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.