With this and previous data, Moderna is considering seeking accelerated approval from regulators to introduce the treatment, the company said as it presented the results at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago.
Merck logo. Photo: Reuters
The data follows earlier promising data from a trial that showed the custom mRNA vaccine used in combination with Merck's Keytruda reduced the risk of death or melanoma recurrence by 44% compared with Keytruda alone.
The findings add to growing evidence that mRNA technology, which has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, could be used to design personalized vaccines that train the immune system to attack specific types of cancer cells in a patient's tumor.
Scientists have been chasing the dream of a cancer vaccine for decades, with little success. Experts say mRNA vaccines, which can be produced in just eight weeks, combined with immune-boosting drugs could lead to a new paradigm for cancer treatment.
Dr Jane Healy, executive director of early cancer therapeutics development at Merck, said the hope was for “a completely new paradigm of cancer treatment that will be better tolerated and unique to each patient's tumour”.
Merck and Moderna are planning larger Phase 3 trials in melanoma and are also testing new therapies to treat lung cancer.
Mai Van (according to Reuters)
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