Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) said its shares climbed sharply early Tuesday, after the drugmaker announced that its experimental melanoma vaccine combined with Merck (NYSE:MRK) cancer treatment Keytruda cut the risk of skin cancer recurrence by 44% compared with a treatment of only Keytruda.
Said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, "Today's results are highly encouraging for the field of cancer treatment. mRNA has been transformative for COVID-19, and now, for the first time ever, we have demonstrated the potential for mRNA to have an impact on outcomes in a randomized clinical trial in melanoma. We will begin additional studies in melanoma and other forms of cancer with the goal of bringing truly individualized cancer treatments to patients. We look forward to publishing the full data set and sharing the results at an upcoming oncology medical conference, as well as with health authorities."
Adverse events observed with mRNA-4157/V940 in KEYNOTE-942 were consistent with those previously reported in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The safety profile of KEYTRUDA was consistent with that observed in previously reported studies. Serious treatment-related adverse events occurred in 14.4% of patients who received the combination arm of mRNA-4157/V940 and KEYTRUDA versus 10% with KEYTRUDA alone.
The companies plan to discuss the results with regulatory authorities and initiate a Phase 3 study in melanoma patients in 2023.
In October of this year, the companies announced that Merck had exercised its option to jointly develop and commercialize mRNA-4157/V940. Merck and Moderna will share costs and any profits equally under this worldwide collaboration.
MRNA shares gained $28.25, or 17.1%, to $193.38, while those for Merck acquired 20 cents to $109.17.
