Moderna, Merck Vaccine Cuts Melanoma Risk 42%

Moderna and Merck's personalized mRNA vaccine cut melanoma death and recurrence by 42 percent in a 1,137-patient phase III trial, a result that could shift cancer care. The study, which enrolled stage IIB-IV patients who had surgery before treatment, split participants 2-to-1 between the vaccine plus standard Keytruda therapy and Keytruda alone. The data, accepted for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, were released ahead of the European Society of Medical Oncology conference in Madrid after an embargo breach. CEO Stéphane Bancel said the results "mark a defining moment" for mRNA cancer therapies and confirm the technology's potential to tailor treatments to individual tumors. Regulators are already reviewing the vaccine, and the next steps could bring a new frontline option for melanoma patients.