Moderna, Merck cancer combo cuts melanoma spread risk at five years

May 21 (Reuters) – Moderna and Merck’s combination therapy for skin cancer helped reduce risk of cancer spreading to another part of the body by 59% after five years of follow-up, data from a mid-stage trial showed Thursday.

The study tested Moderna’s experimental personalized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene, in combination with Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda, in melanoma patients after surgery to assess whether the combination prevented their cancer from returning. The trial enrolled 157 patients from 2019 to 2021.

After five years of follow-up, overall survival was 92.2 % for the combination arm, while the Keytruda-alone group recorded 71.3 %, the results showed.

The data follow earlier results showing the combination cut the risk of recurrence or death by 49 % after five years, consistent with the three-year follow-up data published in 2023.

A late-stage trial is currently underway to determine whether intismeran serves as a first-line therapy in combination with Keytruda for melanoma. The vaccine is also being tested in lung and other cancers to assess its potential to prevent recurrence.

Intismeran autogene uses a patient’s tumor-specific genetic signature to train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.

Seven patients in each treatment group died during follow-up, most from cancer. The safety profile of intismeran autogene was consistent with prior analyses, the company said.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The American Academy of Dermatology Association estimates that 234,680 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2026.

The findings will be presented at American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago next week.

(Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)