Moderna and Merck’s joint venture on an experimental cancer vaccine combined with Merck’s Keytruda therapy has shown promise in midstage trial results released Thursday. This combination notably reduced the risk of death or relapse by half in patients dealing with the deadliest form of skin cancer, even after roughly three years of treatment.
According to Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, this potential vaccine could secure regulatory approvals and be introduced in some regions by 2025. Following the announcement, Moderna’s shares surged by over 10% while Merck’s stocks experienced a slight dip in morning trading on Thursday. The vaccine, in conjunction with Keytruda, specifically demonstrated a 49% risk reduction in death or cancer recurrence for patients in later stages of melanoma after three years. Moreover, it showed a 62% decrease in the risk of melanoma spreading to other parts of the body.
These recent findings build upon earlier trial data released this year, underscoring the combination’s efficacy in the same patients over a shorter period. Previous results after about two years showcased a 44% risk reduction in death or relapse and a 65% decrease in cancer spread within the body.
Reported side effects of the vaccine primarily included fatigue, injection site discomfort, and chills. The new data indicates that this cancer vaccine, when used with immunotherapy, continues to offer significant health advantages to melanoma patients, especially with prolonged treatment duration.
Both companies are conducting phase-three trials on the combination as a treatment for late-stage melanoma, which commenced in July. They are also exploring the vaccine’s potential in earlier-stage melanoma, believing that intervening at earlier disease stages may leverage a patient’s stronger immune response for enhanced treatment efficacy. Employing the same mRNA technology as Moderna’s Covid vaccine, this cancer vaccine is tailored based on individual tumour analysis post-surgery. It trains the immune system to identify and combat specific mutations in cancer cells.
Keytruda, approved for treating melanoma and various cancers, falls under a widely used class of immunotherapies designed to disable certain proteins that assist cancer in evading the immune system. Notably, the U.S. FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation to the cancer vaccine in February, aiming to expedite its development and review for serious diseases.