Jan 20 (Reuters) – Moderna and Merck said on Tuesday their experimental vaccine for a serious type of skin cancer, when used with Keytruda, reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% in a mid-stage trial based on five years of follow up.
The improvement in recurrence-free survival was consistent with data reported at the three-year mark in 2023.
The vaccine, called intismeran autogene, was being tested in patients with high-risk melanoma who had their tumors surgically removed. It is designed specifically for each patient based on the unique genetic signature of their tumor.
The treatment works by training the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. When given with Keytruda, an immunotherapy drug that removes brakes on the immune system, the combination aims to both activate and sustain the body’s cancer-fighting response.
Moderna and Merck are now running eight larger studies testing the combination treatment in different types of cancer, including lung, bladder and kidney.
(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
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