Moderna-Merck mRNA cancer vaccine development
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Merck and Moderna cancer vaccine shows promise in melanoma recurrence prevention
The FDA approved the first flu shot using mRNA technology from Moderna in August 2026.
Merck and Moderna said an experimental vaccine treatment showed signs of preventing melanoma from returning or spreading in a study of high-risk melanoma patients.
Those June findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“For many years, the idea of creating an mRNA treatment designed specifically for an individual patient’s cancer was aspirational. We are now helping turn that vision into a reality.”
Moderna and Merck unveil mRNA-based cancer vaccine reducing spread
Moderna tested the vaccine with immunotherapy drug Keytruda.
According to the National Cancer Institute, there were more than 1.5 million people in the US living with melanoma in 2023.
Merck said the companies are already in talks with regulators about the treatment.
“The positive hit here leads us into truly this next phase in immunotherapy,”
Moderna-Merck cancer vaccine late-stage trial results
Leerink Partners analyst Mani Foroohar said in a June note that the Phase 3 results were a make-or-break event for Moderna's stock
Merck and Moderna announced positive initial results from the first Phase 3 trial of their experimental personalized cancer vaccine
Most melanoma recurrences develop in the first two to three years after initial treatment and removal
“We think [the results are] very meaningful for patients with this disease and really the potential of what it can mean for other patients for cancer in future trials with this particular new class of therapy,”