Moderna and Merck said their experimental cancer vaccine cut melanoma recurrence risk by 42% on Thursday. The vaccine, called intismeran, uses a patient’s own tumour to fight the disease after surgery. Dr Hussein Tawbi said, “The field has been looking for a win, and I think this one is big.”
An experimental personalised cancer vaccine developed by Moderna and Merck reduced the risk of melanoma returning by 42% when added to standard treatment after surgery, according to study results released by the drugmakers on Thursday.
The vaccine, called intismeran, is tailored to each patient’s tumour. The findings, which measured recurrence risk over two years after surgery, come from the most advanced study yet of the approach.
“The field has been looking for a win, and I think this one is a big one,” said Dr Hussein Tawbi of MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, a researcher involved in the international study.