Moderna-Merck Melanoma Vaccine Shines in Late-Stage Trial

Moderna and Merck have announced promising results from their late-stage trial of a personalized vaccine for melanoma, a type of skin cancer. The therapy, called intismeran autogene, was developed using messenger RNA technology similar to Moderna's COVID-19 shot.

The study, which enrolled over 1,100 patients, found that the combination of the mRNA vaccine and Merck's immune drug Keytruda reduced melanoma recurrences more than Keytruda alone. The trial also met a secondary goal of slowing the cancer's spread to new areas of the body.

The companies are now planning to file for approval with regulators, with Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel predicting that the product could be approved as soon as 2027. However, questions remain about the cost and feasibility of producing such bespoke cancer treatments at scale.