mRNA cancer vaccine succeeded in Phase 3 melanoma trial, Moderna and Merck say
Summary
Moderna and Merck announced that their personalized mRNA-based vaccine, combined with Merck’s cancer drug Keytruda, helped patients with melanoma, a serious skin cancer, live longer without the cancer coming back. This was shown in a large Phase 3 clinical trial involving over 1,100 patients, and the treatment led to significant improvements in cancer-free survival time.Key Facts
- The vaccine is tailored to each patient’s own cancer mutations using synthetic mRNA.
- The trial included 1,137 patients with stage IIB to IV melanoma who had surgery before treatment.
- Patients were randomly assigned to get either the vaccine plus Keytruda or Keytruda alone.
- The study was double-blind; neither patients nor doctors knew who got which treatment.
- Results showed the combination extended time without cancer returning (recurrence-free survival) and without spread to other body parts (distant metastasis-free survival).
- A previous Phase 2 trial showed nearly half reduction in risk of cancer returning or death.
- The vaccine works by training the immune system to recognize and attack cancer-specific proteins.
- Moderna’s CEO called this a key step forward for personalized cancer treatment using mRNA technology.
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