Moderna, Merck Melanoma Vaccine May Help Reduce Recurrence, Spread

A personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine developed by Moderna and Merck shows promise in reducing recurrence and spread. Iparraguirre Recio · Moment/Getty A late-stage trial found that a personalized mRNA therapy for melanoma outperformed Keytruda alone on two important measures of treatment success. The experimental treatment is tailored to the unique mutations in each patient’s tumor to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. Experts say the findings are encouraging, but detailed results are still needed to understand the treatment’s potential benefits and safety. Moderna and Merck announced August 19 that a phase 3 trial of their experimental personalized mRNA cancer therapy, intismeran, in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab), met two key endpoints in people with high risk melanoma. The trial met its primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival, meaning the combination reduced the risk of melanoma returning or death compared with Keytruda alone. It also met a key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival, which measures the time before cancer spreads to another part of the body or death. The companies have not yet released detailed efficacy or s…