Merck, Moderna claim encouraging melanoma vaccine trial results

The vaccine, intismeran autogene, showed ‘meaningful improvements’ for skin cancer patients when used with Merck’s Keytruda treatment, the firms say

US pharmaceutical firms Merck and Moderna announced on Wednesday encouraging results from a trial of their experimental vaccine against melanoma, potentially clearing the way for approval.

The vaccine, called intismeran autogene, showed “statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements” for skin cancer patients when used with Merck’s Keytruda treatment, the companies said in a statement.

Unlike conventional vaccines, so-called therapeutic vaccines like intismeran treat rather than prevent a disease, by training the body’s own immune system against a tumour or other invaders.

The news sent shares in biotech specialist Moderna soaring in early New York trading, up more than 90 per cent to around US$120 a share, while Merck’s stock was up 10 per cent.

“This represents the first positive Phase 3 readout for an individualised neoantigen therapy (INT) and for an mRNA-based cancer therapy,” the companies said.

They were referring to messenger RNA technology, which proved highly effective against serious forms of Covid-19.