The personalised cancer vaccine being developed by Moderna and Merck, in combination with Merck’s Keytruda immunotherapy, met the main goals of a large trial involving more than 1,100 patients with melanoma.
The treatment met the study’s primary endpoint by extending the time patients remained free from cancer recurrence when combined with Keytruda. It also met a key secondary endpoint by reducing the risk of the cancer spreading to distant organs.
This is the first positive late-stage trial of an mRNA-based cancer treatment, allowing the companies to begin discussions with regulators about a potential application for approval.
Unlike a standard vaccine, each dose is made specifically for the individual patient.
The results mark “a day as important for humanity as November 16, 2020,” when Moderna announced late-stage trial results showing its Covid-19 vaccine was effective, CEO Stéphane Bancel told CNN on Wednesday. “This is a new chapter in cancer treatment,” he said.
Moderna says the treatment could receive approval as early as 2027 if the review process proceeds smoothly.
Source: CNN
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