Moderna and Merck Report Cancer Vaccine Cut Melanoma Recurrence Risk by 42% in Trial

Moderna and Merck announced Thursday full results of a phase 3 trial of a personalized cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, given with Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda. The companies said it cut the risk of melanoma recurrence or death in certain patients by 42% versus Keytruda alone. About 82% of vaccine recipients were alive without recurrence at two years, compared with 70% on Keytruda alone. Dr. Hussein Tawbi of MD Anderson Cancer Center called it a huge development and said side effects were milder than other cancer treatments. Detailed results will be presented at a European Society for Medical Oncology conference this weekend.

Alternative sources lead with the stock drop: Moderna shares fell as much as 25% after partial data leaked before the full release later Thursday, though the data still appeared positive against Wall Street expectations. Right-leaning Newsmax leads with the 42% figure for the mRNA vaccine. Left-leaning The New York Times frames it as a first-of-its-kind vaccine that may be on the horizon, attributing the results to the drug makers. Sources that give figures agree on the core trial results.