Advancing medicine through biotechnology, the treatment uses mRNA codes that are individually tailored to fit a patient’s specific biological profile.
WASHINGTON — In a promising advancement for cancer therapy, pharmaceutical giants Merck and Moderna have announced that their experimental vaccine developed for cancer is demonstrating significant efficacy. The vaccine appears to notably delay both the recurrence and spread of melanoma in patients considered at high risk.
This innovative drug has exhibited superior outcomes in terms of recurrence-free survival when administered alongside Keytruda, a widely used immunotherapy by Merck. The combination of the vaccine and Keytruda outperformed the latter when used alone, as highlighted in findings that show the partnership extends the period before recurrence of the cancer.
“Today’s results mark a groundbreaking development in the treatment of adjuvant melanoma,” declared Professor Georgina Long, the lead researcher and Medical Director at Melanoma Institute Australia. She noted that this is the inaugural Phase 3 study indicating that intismeran, personalized to the unique mutational fingerprint of a patient’s tumor, reduces recurrence or death risks when paired with pembrolizumab, compared to using KEYTRUDA alone. “This combination could redefine treatment standards, potentially maintaining remission longer in patients,” she added.
Merck and Moderna have also stated their intent to present these findings at an upcoming international medical conference, as well as to forward the data to regulatory bodies for review and potential approval.
The mRNA-based vaccine was tested in a trial with 1,137 patients worldwide who had already had melanoma removed through surgery.
Melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer, according to Moderna. The rates of melanoma have been rising over the past few decades, with more than 330,000 new cases diagnosed worldwide in 2022.
The study included a personalized vaccine called Intismeran, which is designed using a patient’s tumor sample to identify the “fingerprint” of their cancer and generate an “anti-tumor” immune response. The treatment consists of mRNA coding tailored to a patient’s tumor.
“These Phase 3 findings represent a pivotal moment for the field of cancer research. For many years, the idea of creating an mRNA treatment designed specifically for an individual patient’s cancer was aspirational. We are now helping turn that vision into a reality,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna. “Together with Merck, we have started to demonstrate the transformative potential of this technology to address critical unmet needs in the adjuvant melanoma setting. We are deeply grateful to the patients, investigators and study teams whose contributions make this progress possible.”
The companies said they would continue to examine survival rates following the treatment.
On Wall Street, Moderna and Merck helped lead the market after they announced the encouraging results from the study.