Moderna Shares Soar on Successful Melanoma Vaccine Trial
Moderna's shares surged over 60% in premarket trading after the company announced successful results from a late-stage trial of its melanoma vaccine, Intismeran. The treatment combines Moderna's mRNA vaccine with Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda and showed significant promise in reducing cancer recurrence and preventing metastasis.
The trial enrolled 1,137 high-risk patients with stage IIB-IV melanoma that had been surgically removed and randomised them to receive up to nine doses of Keytruda plus the personalised vaccine or Keytruda alone for about one year. The companies reported no new safety signals in the trial.
The results are a significant breakthrough for Moderna, which has been diversifying its portfolio beyond its Covid-19 vaccine. Analysts had predicted that the therapy could generate around $3bn by 2035 and strengthen investor sentiment.