Research
Trial finds Merck and Moderna melanoma vaccine cut recurrence or death risk by 42%
After surgery, adding the personalized vaccine to pembrolizumab reduced recurrence or death risk by 42%, but an overall survival benefit has not been shown.
Merck and Moderna reported phase 3 results for intismeran autogene, a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, given with pembrolizumab after surgery for high-risk melanoma. The INTerpath-001 trial randomly assigned 1,137 adults to the combination or pembrolizumab alone.
After a median follow-up of 24.6 months, the combination reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42%, according to results presented at the ESMO Congress 2026. At two years, 82.2% of patients receiving the combination were alive without recurrence, compared with 70.0% receiving pembrolizumab alone.
Longer follow-up is needed to determine whether fewer recurrences translate into a survival benefit. NPR reported that Merck plans to apply to the FDA, while STAT reported that Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel expected a submission in 2027.
Reporting on this story
- BioPharma Dive ESMO ‘26: A cancer vaccine debate, Roche’s KRAS progress and Amgen’s ‘unprecedented’ data (opens in a new tab)
- NPR Merck's melanoma vaccine trial shows reduced recurrence or death from skin cancer (opens in a new tab)
- Medical Xpress Personalized cancer vaccine plus immunotherapy reduces melanoma recurrence after surgery (opens in a new tab)
