Wall Street: Success of experimental vaccine in preventing recurrence and spread of skin cancer

A trial vaccine for melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, developed by Moderna and Merck, showed early positive results in its first late-stage trial, according to The Wall Street Journal. The combination therapy achieved the study’s primary endpoint, significantly prolonging the time patients lived without cancer recurrence, and also reduced the risk of the cancer spreading to distant parts of the body. Early data suggest that this combination could serve as a new treatment option for melanoma and confirm the validity of a new personalized treatment approach. Moderna and Merck announced on Wednesday that the early results were positive in their first late-stage clinical trial, bringing them one step closer to filing for regulatory approval of the treatment option. The messenger RNA-based injections, combined with Merck’s Keytruda immunotherapy, met their primary endpoints in the Phase 3 trial involving more than 1,100 patients with high-risk or advanced melanoma whose detectable tumors had been completely removed surgically. The Phase 3 study will continue to evaluate additional outcomes, including improvements in overall survival rates with this treatment regimen. The two pharmaceutical companies plan to present the data at an upcoming international medical conference, but it remains unclear when they intend to submit approval applications in the United States. Nevertheless, early data indicate that this combination therapy may represent a new treatment option for melanoma, which accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers but causes the vast majority of skin cancer deaths. Most melanoma recurrences occur within the first two to three years after initial treatment and surgical removal.