Moderna Soars as Melanoma Vaccine Trial Meets Goal
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Moderna jumped sharply in premarket trading after the company and Merck said their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, delivered positive initial results in its first Phase III trial for melanoma.
The vaccine was tested in combination with Keytruda as adjuvant treatment for more than 1,100 high-risk melanoma patients whose tumors had been completely removed by surgery.
According to the companies, the trial met key endpoints tied to recurrence-free survival and reduced the risk of distant metastasis, compared with Keytruda alone.
The announcement also fueled a rally in biotech names in Hong Kong, with CanSino Biologics and Everest Medicines both rising by more than 50% in morning trade
Key Points
- Moderna at one point more than doubled in premarket trading and was later up 93.9%, while Merck rose 7.45% before the US market opened
- Merck and Moderna announced on Wednesday that intismeran autogene achieved positive preliminary results in its first Phase III clinical trial
- The study enrolled more than 1,100 high-risk melanoma patients after complete surgical resection and used the vaccine with Keytruda in adjuvant treatment
- The companies said the regimen reached key endpoints on recurrence-free survival and lowering the risk of cancer spreading to distant sites.
- Full data will be presented at an international medical meeting, while the Phase III trial continues to track overall survival and no US filing timeline was given
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong investors, the result quickly spilled into local trading, driving sharp gains in biotech and pharmaceutical shares linked to cancer, vaccines and drug development themes.
The data also revives confidence in mRNA technology beyond Covid-era vaccines, which matters for market sentiment toward healthcare innovation plays listed in Hong Kong