StockWatch: Merck/Moderna Cancer Vaccine Gives a Shot in the Arm to Sequencing Companies, Too
Because intismeran autogene is a personalized cancer therapy made for each patient based on the individual genetic mutations of their tumors, the Merck-Moderna stock surge extended to sequencing giants such as Illumina, Pacific Biosciences of California, and to a degree Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The post StockWatch: Merck/Moderna Cancer Vaccine Gives a Shot in the Arm to Sequencing Companies,…
Merck & Co. (MRK) and Moderna (MRNA) reported what they believed to be the world's first positive Phase III results for their cancer vaccine, a personalized neoantigen therapy called intismeran autogene. This mRNA-based vaccine, when combined with Merck's Keytruda (pembrolizumab), showed greater improvement in both recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) compared to Keytruda alone.
Consequently, both company stocks saw a significant increase. Illumina (ILMN), PacBio (PACB), and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) also experienced a surge in their share prices, benefiting from the sequencing companies' association with the groundbreaking cancer therapy. Illumina's shares climbed 16% to $219.40, PacBio's rose 18% to $1.35, and Oxford Nanopore's soared 39% to £170, all due to the cancer vaccine news.
Analysts and biotechnology experts have hailed this development as a "watershed moment" and "landmark win" for Moderna, predicting a diversification from its COVID-19 vaccine focus.
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