Merck-Moderna melanoma drug curbs recurrence in trial

Merck and Moderna said on Wednesday that their experimental tailored melanoma treatment intismeran autogene prevented the cancer from returning and spreading to other organs in a large Phase 3 trial when used with pembrolizumab.

The companies said the treatment, based on the same messenger RNA technology used in Covid-19 vaccines, was tested for about a year in 1,137 patients after surgical removal of their cancers. Two-thirds received intismeran autogene plus pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug and current standard of care, while the rest received pembrolizumab alone.

The companies said they would present the data at an upcoming international conference and begin regulatory filings for approval. Earlier, Merck and Moderna said the therapy had expedited review status from the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency.

Moderna shares rose 128 percent to $143 after the announcement, while Merck shares were up more than 10 percent to $149.50.

Intismeran autogene is designed for an individual patient. It uses a sample of the patient’s tumour to identify a unique mutational “fingerprint”, then uses mRNA technology to help the body target it.

The companies said the result was the first positive Phase 3 trial for an mRNA-based cancer therapy. Melanoma is among the deadliest forms of skin cancer, with more than 330,000 new cases diagnosed worldwide in 2022.