Moderna and Merck shares soared on Wednesday after the companies said a personalized mRNA treatment hit its target of preventing skin cancer from recurring or spreading in a late-stage clinical trial. Why it matters: The results come at a pivotal moment for Moderna and mRNA research, after Trump administration health officials cut federal funding for new vaccines and asserted the technology poses more risks than rewards. - The customized therapy, which could see a commercial launch next year, could also be adapted for other cancers of the kidney, bladder and pancreas. The big picture: The results could lead to a remarkable turnaround for Moderna, whose market value plummeted more than 90% after demand for its COVID vaccine declined…
Moderna and Merck’s mRNA cancer vaccine showed positive results in a late-stage melanoma trial. The vaccine could be available as soon as next year if regulators approve it. Moderna shares surged as much as 160% following the results. Moderna developed the vaccine with Merck and tested it together with Keytruda, a common immunotherapy treatment for melanoma. This is the first successful late-stage trial for an mRNA cancer vaccine. The vaccine works by training a patient’s immune system to recognize and attack specific mutations in cancer cells. It is also the first study to show that adding another treatment to Keytruda worked better than Keytruda alone. Similar vaccines are being studied for lung, breast and pancreatic cancers.…
A study finds that an mRNA vaccine is highly effective at preventing recurrence of this dangerous skin cancer, when used in combination with Keytruda, an immunotherapy drug.
