Moderna and Merck cancer combo cuts melanoma spread risk
Moderna and Merck's therapy reduced the risk of melanoma spreading by 59% after five years. The combination showed a 92.2% survival rate in the recent mid-stage trial.
Moderna Inc and Merck & Co. Inc. reported that their combination therapy reduced the risk of melanoma spreading by 59% after five years. The mid-stage trial enrolled 157 patients and showed a 92.2% overall survival rate for the vaccine-immunotherapy pairing, compared to 71.3% for Keytruda alone. The results confirm earlier findings showing a 49% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death after five years.
### Long-Term Survival Gains in Skin Cancer The study tracked patients from 2019 to 2021 to evaluate the experimental vaccine intismeran autogene alongside the immunotherapy Keytruda. The combination group reached a 92.2% survival rate, while the group receiving only Keytruda recorded 71.3%. These results are consistent with three-year follow-up data published in 2023.
