Moderna-Merck Melanoma Treatment Shows Promising Results in Large Trial

A promising melanoma treatment developed by Moderna and Merck has shown significant success in a large trial. The personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, combined with immunotherapy Keytruda, reduced cancer recurrence and prevented tumors from spreading to other parts of the body.

The study enrolled 1,137 high-risk patients with stage 2b to 4 melanoma that had been surgically removed. Volunteers received up to nine doses of Keytruda plus the personalized vaccine or Keytruda alone for about one year.

No new safety signals emerged in the trial, and side effects were similar to those seen in previous studies. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, with over 1.5 million people living with it in the US as of 2023.

The companies plan to file for approval from regulators within months and will present their results at an upcoming medical meeting. Moderna's shares surged 160% after the announcement.