Merck and Moderna have ‘lot of exploring to do’ after initial cancer vaccine success — SkimNews
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- Merck and Moderna are preparing to file their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, for approval after a Phase 3 trial in melanoma significantly delayed both cancer recurrence and the development of metastatic disease.
- Merck R&D chief Dean Li outlined an expansion strategy built around Keytruda's strengths, with adjuvant trials already running in lung, kidney, and bladder cancer plus early tests in pancreatic and gastric cancer — settings where Keytruda has historically underperformed.
- Li contrasted the approach with mRNA rival BioNTech, arguing Merck and Moderna deliberately chose not to chase cold tumors and metastatic disease, but said: 'Anyone has positive data... you will never see Moderna and Merck pivot so fast.'
- The vaccine is built by sequencing an individual patient's tumor and using an algorithm to select up to 34 mutant proteins as targets; Hoge called the algorithm 'imperfect' but said immune-response data from the several-thousand-patient Phase 3 program could sharpen future versions.
- Gary Keblish, a public school teacher diagnosed with melanoma in 2019 and treated in the trial, appeared by video at the STAT Summit comparing the experience to 'Ms. Frizzle's Magic School Bus'; he remains cancer-free and still teaching.
- Moderna President Stephen Hoge said the partners have 'a lot of exploring to do and need to prioritize where we explore,' framing the next phase as a deliberate, costly bet on which tumor types deserve investment before scaling.
Why it matters: Merck and Moderna's Phase 3 melanoma success forces a strategic bet: expand into lung, kidney, bladder, pancreatic, and gastric cancers where Keytruda already works, or chase cold tumors where mRNA rival BioNTech has stumbled. Their deliberately narrow tumor-selection strategy — backed by immune data from several thousand Phase 3 patients — will determine whether the vaccine becomes a platform drug or a single-indication product.
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