Moderna’s stock soared Tuesday after the COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer’s thorough advancement in improving a preventive shot for a dangerous form of skin cancer.
The company also said potential melanoma vaccine it is testing with pharmaceutical behemoth Merck performed well in a small study of cancer patients who had their tumors surgically removed.
Skin Cancer Vaccine
The combination of the vaccine and Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda resulted in a statistically significant improvement in survival before cancer recurrence in patients with advanced melanoma, according to the drugmakers.
Before regulators review a potential drug for approval, Phase 3 clinical research is typically the most extensive and expensive stage.
Moderna created one of the most popular vaccines used to protect patients against COVID-19, and the drugmaker made more than $3 billion from Spikevax in the third quarter of this year.
However, vaccine use has declined, and Moderna relies on Spikevax for nearly all of its revenue. The potential skin cancer vaccine, like Spikevax, employs mRNA technology. It teaches a patient’s immune system to recognize and respond specifically to tumor DNA mutations.
Researchers compared the vaccine-Keytruda combination to Keytruda alone in a mid-stage clinical trial involving 157 patients. Merck’s best-selling drug, Keytruda, prepares the body’s immune system to detect and fight tumor cells. It has been approved by regulators to treat a variety of cancers.
According to the companies, patients who received the potential vaccine and Keytruda had a 44% lower risk of death or cancer recurrence. Both groups received treatments for about a year or until the disease returned or the side effects became too severe.
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Moderna, Merck To Proceed Phase 3 Study of Skin Cancer Treatment
According to the companies, patients who received the potential vaccine and Keytruda had a 44% lower risk of death or cancer returning. Both groups received treatments for about a year unless the disease was born or the side effects became too severe.
Merck and Moderna plan to begin a phase 3 study next year and say they plan to expand their approach to other tumor types. Merck and Moderna signed a collaboration agreement in 2016, with the companies planning to split costs and profits. Merck also paid $250 million to Moderna.
In midday trading, shares of Moderna Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, surged 23% to exceed $200, while broader indexes rose. Merck & Co., based in Kenilworth, New Jersey, gained less than 1%.
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