Explainer-How the Merck/Moderna cancer vaccine works and possible barriers to wide use
The combination cut recurrence and spread risk versus Keytruda alone, while overall survival data were not yet available, the companies said.
- Moderna and New Jersey's Merck announced on Tuesday that their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, succeeded in a late-stage Phase 3 trial for surgically removed melanoma.
- The personalized treatment requires sequencing a patient's tumor to identify up to 34 unique protein flags, or neoantigens, before manufacturing a custom vaccine designed to spark an immune attack.
- Involving over 1,000 participants whose tumors were surgically removed, the trial marks the first time a cancer vaccine has succeeded in late-stage testing, combining the mRNA therapy with Keytruda.
- Moderna stock surged 11% to $154.15 on Tuesday, adding nearly $45 billion to the company's market value, while rival BioNTech saw a more modest 2% gain during the session.
- William Blair's Myles Minter projected the company could eventually earn $5.4 billion in peak annual sales, as Moderna continues studying the combination treatment in trials for other cancers.
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19 Articles
A cancer vaccine is closer than ever
Scientists are on the cusp of fulfilling a decades-long quest: to use vaccines to teach the immune system to spot and destroy cancer cells. News that an mRNA cancer vaccine developed by Merck & Co. and Moderna Inc. kept melanoma from returning in a large, late-stage trial marks a critical next chapter for a technology beleaguered by post-pandemic political backlash and years of false starts before then. The concept of cancer vaccines has been ki…
What does Moderna's melanoma treatment mean for cancer research? We asked 2 local experts
Moderna's stock price soared last week after the release of promising news about an experimental melanoma treatment using an mRNA-based cancer vaccine that the Cambridge company is working on with Merck. Two local cancer researchers explain how the treatment works and how it could mean for their field.
Moderna Rallies 11%, BioNTech Ticks Up: Is the mRNA Trade Down to One Name?
Moderna just posted an 11% surge with zero news behind it, while its longtime mRNA peer BioNTech can barely keep pace with the broader biotech sector. Something broke between these two names, and figuring out what it means for your position is more urgent than it looks.
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