A personalised mRNA cancer vaccine developed by Moderna and Merck, when combined with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda, reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42% and the risk of the disease spreading by 38%, according to results from a large-scale clinical trial announced by the two pharmaceutical companies.
The trial involved more than 1,100 patients and marks the first study to show that a vaccine targeting mutations unique to each patient’s tumour, combined with a drug that helps the immune system fight cancer, can keep the disease under control.
The vaccine was tested alongside Merck’s Keytruda, one of the world’s best-selling medicines, which helps the immune system attack cancer cells.
Moderna and Merck announced in August that the treatment had proved successful in the trial but did not disclose further details at the time.
The latest findings draw on patient data covering the first two years after treatment. Researchers will present the results on Saturday at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress in Madrid.
The findings could pave the way for a new era of personalised cancer treatment, in which vaccines target the specific mutations found in an individual patient’s tumour.
(Source: AMNA)
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