Moderna and Merck have reported encouraging late-stage results for their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, marking an important step toward using the same technology behind COVID vaccines to help the immune system fight cancer.
The Phase 3 trial tested Moderna’s experimental vaccine intismeran together with Merck’s blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda in patients with stage 2 to stage 4 melanoma whose tumors had already been surgically removed.
The study included 1,137 patients who received either the combination or Keytruda alone for just over a year. According to the companies, patients receiving the combination went longer without their cancer returning and experienced fewer cases of the disease spreading to other parts of the body.
The companies have not yet released the exact Phase 3 percentages, an important detail when interpreting the initial announcement. However, an earlier-stage study found that the combination reduced the risk of melanoma returning by 49% and the risk of distant spread or death by 59%, compared with Keytruda alone.
What makes the treatment different is that it is personalized for each patient. Doctors analyze mutations in an individual’s tumor and use that information to create an mRNA vaccine designed to teach the immune system what that specific cancer looks like. Keytruda then helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively.
Moderna is already testing the technology beyond melanoma, with studies underway in lung, kidney, pancreatic and bladder cancers. Intismeran itself is still experimental and has not yet been approved.
Investor takeaway: The results are an important validation of Moderna’s attempt to expand mRNA technology beyond infectious diseases. Full Phase 3 data will still be needed to understand the size of the benefit, but a successful cancer vaccine could open a major new market for both Moderna and Merck.
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