Moderna, Merck Cancer Vaccine Shows Promising Results in Late-Stage Trial

Moderna and Merck have announced positive results from a late-stage trial of their experimental personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine, Intismeran. The study combined Intismeran with Keytruda in patients who had melanomas surgically removed, meeting its main goal of extending 'recurrence-free survival' (RFS) by an undisclosed amount.

The trial enrolled 1,137 patients, and the results showed that Intismeran was successful at preventing cancer from returning or spreading. The study also met a secondary goal of preventing cancer from spreading to different parts of the body.

In an interview on CNBC's 'Squawk Box,' Merck Research Laboratories President Dean Li stated that an earlier Phase 2 study showed most people who were disease-free after one year remained disease-free after five years. The personalized vaccine in combination with Keytruda reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49 percent compared to Keytruda alone.