STAT+: Moderna and Merck say mRNA cancer vaccine succeeded in late-stage melanoma trial

Neoantigen vaccines have long been considered a promising cancer treatment approach, but they lacked definitive evidence of benefit. On Wednesday, Merck and Moderna announced results from the first randomized Phase 3 trial designed to prove their value in oncology.

The trial tested intismeran, a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, added to Merck's Keytruda in adjuvant melanoma, meaning patients' tumors had been surgically removed. The drugmakers said the combination slowed the return of melanoma and its spread to other parts of the body.

Detailed data were not immediately released, but if the results hold up, they could deliver new hope and potentially longer lives for patients. They also underscore the power of mRNA as a platform for developing both traditional vaccines and therapeutics.