Moderna and Merck Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Large Trial

Moderna and Merck announced that their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran, has succeeded in a large trial for melanoma.

The treatment combines Keytruda with an mRNA vaccine designed specifically for each patient's cancer, based on an analysis of mutations found in their tumors.

In the late-stage trial, 1,137 high-risk patients with stage 2b to 4 melanoma were randomly assigned to receive up to nine doses of Keytruda plus the personalized vaccine or Keytruda alone for about a year.

No new safety signals emerged in the trial, and previous studies showed common side effects included fatigue, pain at the injection site, and chills.