Merck, Moderna say trial shows promise in skin cancer vaccine

Shares of Merck and Moderna have jumped after the drugmakers say a potential skin cancer vaccine they are developing using the same technology behind COVID-19 preventive shots has fared well in a small study.

The drugmakers say a combination of the vaccine and Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda led to a statistically significant improvement in recurrence-free survival time in patients with phase three or four melanoma who had tumors removed in surgery.

The patient group that took the potential vaccine and Keytruda saw a 44% reduction in the risk of death or the cancer returning, the companies say.

Merck and Moderna expect to start a phase 3 study of the combination next year, and the companies say they intend to “rapidly expand” their approach to other tumor types. Phase 3 is generally the last and largest clinical study before a drug is submitted to regulators for approval.