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Moderna Shares Surge 120% as mRNA Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise in Melanoma Trial

SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN

Summary

Moderna shares more than doubled to $140.12 per share Wednesday after announcing that its experimental mRNA-based cancer vaccine, developed jointly with Merck, demonstrated significant efficacy in a Phase 2b trial for melanoma patients. The treatment, called intismeran, when paired with Merck's Keytruda immunotherapy drug, helped patients live longer without cancer recurrence or metastasis compared to Keytruda alone. The companies plan to present full trial results at an upcoming international medical conference .

Key Points

Moderna shares surged more than 120% to $140.12 per share following the announcement, marking one of the company's biggest single-day gains
Merck shares rose approximately 11% as investors responded positively to the Phase 2b trial data for melanoma treatment
The experimental vaccine intismeran uses mRNA technology to create personalized treatments tailored to each patient's unique tumor mutations
In the clinical trial, patients receiving the intismeran and Keytruda combination showed better survival outcomes without cancer returning or spreading
The two pharmaceutical giants did not disclose specific survival duration data or overall survival rates in their announcement

Why It Matters

This marks a potential breakthrough in personalized cancer immunotherapy, combining Moderna's mRNA expertise with Merck's established Keytruda franchise. If approved, it would represent the first mRNA-based cancer treatment to reach patients, opening a new frontier in oncology that could eventually be applied to other cancer types beyond melanoma .