Moderna/Merck cancer vaccine cuts melanoma risk by 42 per cent in landmark trial
Moderna and Merck announced their mRNA cancer vaccine combined with immunotherapy Keytruda reduced melanoma death or recurrence risk by 42 per cent in a Phase 3 trial. The personalised vaccine, intismeran autogene, targets tumour-specific mutations. The companies plan to file for US approval and lau
Moderna and Merck said on Thursday that their mRNA cancer vaccine, when combined with Merck's widely used immunotherapy Keytruda, cut the risk of melanoma death or recurrence by 42 per cent in a large Phase 3 trial, potentially paving the way for a new era of personalised treatment. The data from more than 1,100 patients also showed the combination cut the risk of the cancer's spread by 38 per cent.
It is the first data to demonstrate that a vaccine based on mutations unique to each patient's tumour, plus a drug that helps the immune system fight cancer, can keep the disease at bay. The vaccine, known as intismeran autogene, was tested alongside Keytruda, one of the world's biggest-selling medicines. Keytruda removes a natural brake cancer cells use to hide from immune attack, while the vaccine instructs the patient's cells to produce copies of specific mutations for the immune system to seek and destroy.
Moderna shares closed more than 17 per cent lower on Thursday after the results leaked on an oncology website earlier in the day. Merck shares closed down about 1.8 per cent. Some analysts said the data may raise concerns among investors about how broadly the technology may extend to other cancers. RBC analyst Trung Huynh wrote: "We see optimism waning on pricing in multibillion-dollar franchises across oncology. This data makes us less optimistic as melanoma was supposed to be the best case."
Among patients who received the vaccine in addition to Keytruda, 82.2 per cent were still cancer-free after two years, compared with 70 per cent of those who received Keytruda alone. Dr Hussein Tawbi, a melanoma expert and trial investigator at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said of the results: "This is highly statistically significant. It is not by chance."
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said the data signalled a new chapter in cancer treatment. "With this ability to create new T cells that are specific to your tumor... the clinical impact is very profound, and as we saw in the Phase 2 trial, very lasting," he said. The companies are preparing to file for US approval and expect the cancer vaccine to launch in 2027, Bancel added. The intismeran/Keytruda combination is already being tested in multiple other cancers, including kidney, bladder and lung cancer.