Moderna (MRNA.US) and Merck (MRK.US) are gearing up to launch the first phase 3 trial of an mRNA-based cancer vaccine after studies showed it could be used to treat a malignant type of skin cancer.
Data released by Moderna on Tuesday showed that the combination of the company's experimental cancer vaccine and Merck's immunotherapy drug Keytruda reduced the risk of death or recurrence of melanoma for the group of high-risk patients by 44% compared with only Keytruda treatment.
The phase 2 study involved 157 patients who had already undergone surgery for melanoma and were supervised by doctors for a year. Some participants received nine doses of the cancer vaccine codenamed mRNA-4157/V940 combined with Keytruda. Others were given Keytruda alone, which is the standard treatment for high-risk melanoma.
Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said the results encouraged Merck and Moderna to launch a more advanced Phase 3 trial, which regulators usually require before approving a new treatment.
Moderna shares rose as much as 25% to $207.37 in premarket trading after the results were announced.
Researchers have long explored the potential of using mRNA technology - which is best known for its use in Covid-19 vaccines - to create a vaccine that instructs the body's immune system how to identify cancerous tumors.
Jeffrey Weber, the study's principal investigator and associate director of the Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone, said the results provided the first evidence that a personalized neoantigen vaccine approach could be beneficial in cases of melanoma.
However, some analysts urge caution, saying Moderna has only published a small range of trial results that have not yet been verified by independent scientists.
The clinical trial is part of a six-year partnership between Merck and Moderna which aims to develop personalized cancer vaccines. In October, Merck agreed to pay Moderna $250 million to exercise an option to jointly develop and commercialize mRNA-4157/V940 vaccine.
Dean Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories, said the positive study results represent an important milestone in the company's partnership with Moderna.
Source: xStation5
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