Moderna and Merck's Experimental Cancer Vaccine Shows Promising Results
Moderna and Merck's experimental mRNA-based cancer vaccine, Intismeran, has shown promising results in preventing melanoma from returning or spreading in a late-stage trial. The study, which enrolled 1,137 patients with high-risk melanomas that had been surgically removed, met its main goal of extending 'recurrence-free survival' (RFS) by combining the personalized vaccine with Merck's Keytruda.
The study also met a secondary goal of preventing cancer from spreading to different parts of the body. According to Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, Intismeran works by training and activating an antitumor immune response based on the unique mutational signature of a patient's tumor.
In an interview on CNBC's 'Squawk Box,' Merck Research Laboratories President Dean Li said that the companies will likely begin talking to federal regulators in the next few months, but didn't have an exact time when they might file for approval. The approval would represent a significant win for Moderna and a major endorsement of its mRNA platform.
The study showed that most people who were disease-free after one year remained disease-free after five years, with a 49% reduction in the risk of melanoma recurrence or death compared to Keytruda alone. Melanoma accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers but causes the highest percentage of deaths.