Health · Pharma & Biotech · 2 hrs ago
Personalized cancer vaccine succeeds in phase 3 melanoma trial
Moderna and Merck announced positive results from a late-stage trial of a personalized cancer treatment for people with melanoma, an aggressive type of skin cancer.
The trial involved 1,137 patients who had surgery to remove their tumors.
The treatment, intismeran autogene, uses information from each patient’s tumor to help the body recognize and attack cancer cells.
It is given with Keytruda, Merck’s immunotherapy drug, to help prevent the cancer from returning; it is not a vaccine to prevent cancer in healthy people.
The phase 3 trial found a significant reduction in recurrence and the spread of cancer, but full results are not yet available, and it remains to be shown whether the treatment extends patients’ lives.
The treatment could become important for Merck as key patent protection for Keytruda begins to expire in 2028, though estimates of its potential sales are projections, not confirmed results.
Moderna and Merck are also studying the same technology in other cancers.
Moderna and Merck said their personalized cancer vaccine met the main goals of a phase 3 trial in patients who had surgery for melanoma.
The trial involved 1,137 patients and found a statistically significant improvement in outcomes when the vaccine was combined with Keytruda.
The treatment is designed using mutations identified in each patient’s tumor to help the immune system recognize cancer cells.
The companies said the combination reduced the risk of recurrence or metastasis, but full phase 3 figures have not been released.
It remains to be shown whether the treatment extends patients’ survival.
- Who
- Moderna and Merck developed and tested the treatment in patients who had surgery for melanoma.
- What
- A phase 3 trial of a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine combined with Keytruda met its main goals.
- When
- The companies announced the results on August 19; the year is not stated.
- Where
- The trial’s location is not stated. The article estimates about 30,000 eligible patients a year across the United States and the European Union.
- Why
- The vaccine is designed to help prevent melanoma from returning after surgery by prompting the body to recognize features of the patient’s tumor.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
No direct quotes in the coverage so far.
Moderna and Merck reported that a phase 2b trial found the combination reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% compared with Keytruda alone after five years of follow-up.
The companies announced that the phase 3 trial had met its main goals, with significantly fewer recurrences and cases of metastasis.
- Trial size
- 1,137 patients
- Treatment
- Intismeran autogene combined with Keytruda
- Cancer type
- Melanoma
- Phase 2b result
- 49% lower risk of recurrence or death versus Keytruda alone
- Potential eligible population
- About 30,000 patients annually in the United States and the European Union
Sources
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