Merck and Moderna release detailed cancer vaccine data at ESMO

Adam Feuerstein is a senior biotechnology writer and columnist, reporting on the intersection of drug development, business, Wall Street and biotechnology. He is also co-host of the weekly biotechnology podcast The Readout Loud and author of the Adam’s Biotech Scorecard newsletter. You can reach Adam on Signal at stataf.54.

Andrew covers the biopharmaceutical industry, scientific research and public health across the continent. You can reach Andrew confidentially on Signal at drawqjoseph.71.

MADRID — A personalized mRNA cancer vaccine reduced the risk of disease recurrence in melanoma patients by 42% compared to standard treatment, according to a large clinical trial led by drugmakers Moderna and Merck.

The findings represent an important advance for the treatment of melanoma, oncologists say, because patients live much longer without their cancer returning.

The success of the Moderna-Merck autogenic intismeran vaccine could also pave the way for a new wave of treatments for other types of cancer, although experts debate how widely the technology can be applied. The drug is an individualized therapy that attacks unique mutations, called neoantigens, found in a patient’s tumor. This approach is made possible by the same mRNA technology that led to the rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines.