mRNA cancer vaccine slashes melanoma death or recurrence risk by 42%

mRNA cancer vaccine slashes melanoma death or recurrence risk by 42% Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said the findings open a new chapter in cancer treatment - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A large clinical trial combining Moderna's mRNA cancer vaccine with Merck's immunotherapy reduced the risk of melanoma death or recurrence by 42%, the companies announced on Thursday, potentially opening a new era in personalized oncology. Moderna shares closed more than 17% lower on Thursday after the trial findings leaked on an oncology website, despite having nearly quadrupled through Wednesday's close since August when the trial's success was first announced without full data. Merck stock also fell about 1.8%. The Phase 3 trial, which tracked more than 1,100 patients, also revealed that the combination treatment reduced the risk of the cancer spreading by 38%. The findings mark the first data demonstrating that pairing a custom vaccine based on a patient's unique tumor mutations with a drug that boosts the immune system can successfully halt the disease. The vaccine was tested alongside Merck's Keytruda, one of the world's top-selling medicines. Keytruda functions by removing a natural brake that cancer cells rely on to hide from immune attack. Meanwhile, the vaccine instructs patient cells to produce copies of specific mutations, allowing the immune system to seek out and destroy them. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel stated that the findings herald a new chapter in treating cancer. "With this ability to create new T cells that are specific to your tumor... the clinical impact is very profound, and as we saw in the Phase 2 (trial), very lasting," Bancel said in an interview. The companies are preparing to file for US regulatory approval, expecting to launch the personalized cancer vaccine in 2027, Bancel noted. The results, evaluating patient outcomes over the initial two years following treatment, are scheduled for presentation on Saturday at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Madrid. Among subjects who received the vaccine paired with Keytruda, 82.2% remained cancer-free after two years, compared to 70% of those who received Keytruda alone. "This is highly statistically significant. It is not by chance," said Dr. Hussein Tawbi, a melanoma expert and trial investigator at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Ahead of the meeting, several Wall Street analysts noted that investors were looking for the combination to cut the risk of recurrence by 40% or more. "There appears to be a sell-on-the-news reaction playing out here," William Blair analyst Myles Minter wrote in a research note, pointing out that Moderna shares remained up 525% this year even with Thursday's downward move. Minter added that the findings were "great data, in our view, but investors will continue to debate the fundamental valuation." The trial assessed nine doses of the vaccine, known as intismeran, administered with Keytruda beginning 13 weeks after surgery to remove melanoma lesions, comparing responses against the standard single-therapy treatment of Keytruda alone. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments