Moderna-Merck Cancer Vaccine Cuts Melanoma Recurrence Risk

Moderna and Merck announced on Wednesday that their joint mRNA cancer vaccine reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence and spread in a late-stage trial.

The personalized treatment, called Intismeran, was tested with Merck's immunotherapy drug Keytruda. The results showed significant improvements over Keytruda alone, making it a major breakthrough in the field.

According to Moderna President Stephen Hoge, thousands of patients who have undergone surgery for high-risk melanoma could benefit from this treatment as soon as next year if regulators approve it.