Moderna and Merck Cancer Therapy Trial Hits Primary Endpoint

Moderna and Merck have joined forces to develop cancer therapies that combine Merck's Keytruda antibody with personalized mRNA immunotherapy from Moderna.

The goal is to tailor treatment to each patient's unique tumor profile using biopsy and blood samples to identify neoantigens produced by their tumors.

The trial met its primary endpoint of improved recurrence-free survival, as well as a secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival.

This was the first prespecified interim readout; the trial will continue to evaluate additional endpoints like overall survival.