Merck Skin Cancer mRNA Vaccine Shows Promising Results in Initial Trials

Merck, the pharmaceutical giant with sizable operations in West Point outside of Lansdale, and Moderna have announced promising results from a skin cancer mRNA vaccine on which they are collaborating. A staff report from The Telegraph in London covered the joint progress.

The vaccine utilizes the same mRNA technology first used in COVID-19 vaccines. It is designed to prime the body’s immune system so it can generate a response based on the specific type of cancer tumor a patient has.

When combined with the drug Keytruda, the Moderna and Merck jab known as mRNA-4157/V940 reduced by 44 percent the risk of cancer returning in patients with stage three and four melanoma, compared with using Keytruda alone.

According to the two pharmaceutical firms, the results demonstrate for the first time the effectiveness of an mRNA skin cancer treatment during a randomized clinical trial.

“Today’s results are highly encouraging for the field of cancer treatment,” said Stephane Bancel, Moderna’s chief executive. “mRNA has been transformative for COVID-19. And now, for the first time, we have demonstrated the potential for mRNA to have an impact on outcomes in a randomized clinical trial in melanoma.”

Read more about this skin cancer mRNA vaccine in The Telegraph.

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Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel explains the latest skin cancer mRNA vaccine breakthrough achieved in collaboration with Merck.