Moderna's Cancer Vaccine Hits Landmark Results in Melanoma Trial

Moderna and Merck's cancer vaccine has achieved 'landmark' results in a Phase 3 trial for treating melanoma. The individualized mRNA treatment, known as intismeran autogene or V940 (MRNA-4157), demonstrated statistically significant improvements when combined with Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda.

At an interim data check, investigators found that the vaccine helped delay disease recurrence and stopped its spread following surgery in patients with melanoma. The trial, titled INTerpath-001, enrolled 1,137 people, two-thirds of whom received the intismeran-Keytruda combination.

The results come as a significant milestone for Moderna's cancer immunotherapy pipeline, which has been years in development. Analysts expect the vaccine to achieve blockbuster sales in the melanoma setting alone, with projections ranging from billions of dollars.