Moderna-Merck Cancer Vaccine Cuts Melanoma Recurrence
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- Moderna and Merck reported their cancer vaccine intismeran autogene reduced the odds that surgically removed melanoma would return or spread in a 1,137-volunteer study
- CEO Stéphane Bancel told ~100 executives at a March 2023 off-site leadership meeting that no one in the room believed the vaccine would work; President Stephen Hoge recalled sitting down when asked who had expected success, saying 'Oh my gosh. This is real'
- Investors had been betting against Moderna's stock up until the results announcement, and some observers argue researchers should wait for fuller data before declaring the treatment effective
- Top-line results from large pharmaceutical firms are rarely reversed when full data emerge, though the vaccine has been characterized as 'the breakthrough no one quite believed in' throughout its development
- Skeptics of Moderna's core mRNA technology remain unconvinced even after the positive melanoma findings, continuing to question the platform's broader viability
Why it matters: The 1,137-volunteer melanoma result is the first large-scale clinical validation of Moderna's mRNA cancer vaccine platform — a technology that has drawn investor skepticism and helped push the company's stock into a betting-against position. With full Phase 3 data still pending and mRNA doubters unmoved, Moderna's next test is whether the complete dataset confirms a top-line result that even its own CEO didn't expect.
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