Merck-Moderna Vaccine Reduces Risk of Severe Melanoma Relapse by Half

The experimental vaccine, combined with Merck's Keytruda, also reduces the risk of melanoma spreading by 62%, according to three-year trial data.

Merck and Moderna's experimental cancer vaccine, when combined with Merck's Keytruda immunotherapy, has shown to reduce the risk of death or relapse in patients with severe melanoma by 49% after three years.
The combination also reduced the risk of melanoma spreading to other parts of the body by 62%.
The vaccine uses the same mRNA technology as Moderna's Covid vaccine and is custom-built based on an analysis of a patient's tumors after surgical removal.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave breakthrough therapy designation to the cancer vaccine for the treatment of melanoma in February, which is intended to speed up the development and review of treatments for serious and life-threatening diseases.
Moderna and Merck are also testing the vaccine with Keytruda against other tumor types and have started a late-stage trial on the combination as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer.