Moderna and Merck's mRNA Melanoma Treatment Meets Key Endpoints in Phase 3 Trial
Moderna and Merck announced on August 19, 2026, that their personalized mRNA treatment, intismeran autogene, met two key endpoints in a Phase 3 trial for patients with high-risk melanoma. The mRNA therapy, known as intismeran or V940, was tested in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) after surgery to prevent the cancer from recurring.
The study, called INTerpath-001, enrolled 1,137 patients and compared the combination of intismeran and KEYTRUDA to KEYTRUDA alone. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in recurrence-free survival and distant-metastasis-free survival for the combined treatment.
However, the companies did not disclose the numerical size of the benefit or provide hazard ratios, absolute event rates, or mature overall-survival findings. This means that while the trial met its prespecified endpoints, more data is needed to understand the practical value of intismeran in clinical practice.