Moderna, Merck say cancer vaccine trial marks ‘landmark moment’

A cancer vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna treating patients with melanoma showed positive and promising late-stage testing results, the drugmakers announced on Wednesday. File Photo by Javier Aparicio/EPA Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A cancer vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna treating patients with melanoma showed positive and promising late-stage testing results, the drugmakers announced on Wednesday. The experimental, personalized cancer vaccine delivered in combination with Keytruda met significant Phase 3 trial goals, Merck and Moderna said in a press release. The trial included more than 1,137 patients whose high-risk or advanced melanoma had been surgically removed. Merck and Moderna said the trial met its primary goals of recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival, meaning it allowed patients to live without the return of melanoma and without it spreading to other parts of their body. "Today's results represent a landmark moment for adjuvant melanoma treatment," Professor Georgina Long, lead researcher for the study and medical director of the Melanoma Institute Australia, said in a statement. "This is the first Phase 3 study to show that intismeran, a treatment designed based on the unique mutational 'fingerprint' of a patient's own tumor, given in combination with pembrolizumab can reduce the risk of recurrence or death in patients with completely resected stage IIB-IV melanoma compared to KEYTRUDA alone." The mRNA-based vaccine will continue under Phase 3 study. Merck and Moderna plan to present the data from the trial at an upcoming international medical meeting and to regulatory authorities. Melanoma causes the largest share of skin cancer-related deaths despite being the source of about 1% of skin cancer cases. "These Phase 3 findings represent a pivotal moment for the field of cancer research," Stephanie Bancel, CEO of Modera, said in a statement. "For many years, the idea of creating a mRNA treatment designed specifically for an individual patient's cancer was aspirational. We are now helping turn that vision into a reality." The news of the trial's success accompanied a bump in both Moderna and Merck stocks during early morning trading on Wednesday. Shares in Moderna rose 120% while Merck's shares jumped more than 10%. President Donald Trump hosts lifeguard Ryder Williams in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo Read More U.S. stocks fall as rising bond yields, oil prices spook investors Coalition sues over law limiting U.S. stays by international students Judge allows Trump administration to end TPS protection for Ethiopians