Cancer
Moderna and Merck report melanoma vaccine cut recurrence or death risk by 42%
In a phase 3 melanoma trial, intismeran autogene plus Keytruda cut relative recurrence-or-death risk by 42% versus Keytruda alone, BioPharma Dive reported.
Moderna and Merck reported that their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, given with Merck’s Keytruda, reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death compared with Keytruda alone. The phase 3 trial involved patients with surgically resected stage 2B to 4 melanoma, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. BioPharma Dive reported that the combination cut the relative risk by 42% after a median of 24.6 months. Trial details were released after screenshots leaked on social media ahead of a planned presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting.
Researchers also found that adding the vaccine reduced the relative risk of cancer spreading to distant organs or tissues by 38%, BioPharma Dive reported. About 7% of people who received the vaccine discontinued treatment because of an adverse event, compared with 5% in the comparator group. Moderna and Merck are running further studies in lung, bladder and kidney cancer. An interim result from a mid-stage kidney tumor trial could come later this year or in the first half of 2027, according to an RBC analyst cited by BioPharma Dive.
