Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine shows promise in early trial of skin cancer
Moderna and Merck are preparing to launch the first phase 3 trial of a messenger RNA cancer vaccine after a study suggested it could be used to treat an aggressive type of skin cancer.
Data released by Moderna showed that a combination of the company’s experimental cancer vaccine and Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda reduced the risk of death or recurrence of melanoma in high-risk patients by 44 per cent compared with treatment using only Keytruda.
The phase 2 randomised trial enrolled 157 patients who had already undergone surgery related to melanoma and tracked them for a year. Some participants received nine doses of the cancer vaccine, codenamed mRNA-4157/V940, along with Keytruda. Others were given Keytruda alone, which is the standard treatment for high-risk melanoma.
Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s chief executive, said the results had emboldened Merck and Moderna to embark on a larger phase 3 trial.The companies would also test the combination in other kinds of cancer. “We believe that this should work in many tumour types, not only melanoma,” Bancel said in an interview.
Moderna shares surged as much as 25 per cent to $207.37 in early trading following the release of the results, while Merck shares were up almost 1 per cent.
https://www.ft.com/content/455ef4e3-b870-4baa-9b05-977329e24356
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