Moderna-Merck melanoma vaccine with Keytruda extends cancer-free survival in trial
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Moderna and Merck announced on August 19 that their experimental mRNA vaccine intismeran, combined with Keytruda, kept high-risk melanoma patients cancer-free longer than Keytruda alone in a large clinical trial. The companies have not yet released detailed data from the trial. Previous trials showed the combination cut the risk of returning cancer or death in half.
Key Facts
- In a large clinical trial, high-risk melanoma patients receiving intismeran plus Keytruda were cancer-free longer than those receiving Keytruda alone.
- Moderna and Merck announced the trial results on August 19 but have not yet released detailed data.
- Previous trials showed the combination treatment cut the risk of returning cancer or death in half.
- Intismeran is a personalized therapeutic vaccine that uses mRNA and neoantigens from a patient's own tumor to train the immune system.
- More than 100,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma annually in the United States, and about 8,500 die from the disease each year.
Trial Results
The clinical trial evaluated intismeran, an experimental mRNA vaccine, in combination with the approved immunotherapy drug Keytruda in patients with high-risk melanoma. Patients receiving the combination were cancer-free for a longer period than those treated with Keytruda alone, according to the announcement by Moderna and Merck on August 19. The companies have not yet released detailed data from the trial, but previous studies indicated that the combination reduced the risk of cancer recurrence or death by half.
Vaccine Mechanism
Intismeran is a therapeutic vaccine that does not prevent melanoma but trains the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells using genetic material from the patient's own tumor. The vaccine uses mRNA technology, similar to that in COVID-19 vaccines and a recently approved flu shot, to deliver instructions for producing neoantigens specific to the patient's cancer. Keytruda, a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor, works by releasing a brake on the immune system, allowing it to attack tumor cells left behind after surgery. Leslie Fecher, a medical oncologist at the University of Michigan, explained that the vaccine aims to generate an informed immune response against novel antigens unique to the cancer.
Melanoma Burden
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and melanoma accounts for the majority of skin cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 100,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year and about 8,500 die from the disease. Existing cancer vaccines include preventive shots for HPV and hepatitis B, as well as therapeutic vaccines for existing tumors, with others still in testing, including one for pancreatic cancer.
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Moderna-Merck melanoma vaccine with Keytruda extends cancer-free survival in trial
