According to pharmaceutical companies Merck and Moderna, an experimental drug tailored to a patient’s specific tumor successfully prevented the recurrence of melanoma (skin cancer) in a large-scale clinical trial. They noted this is the first time mRNA (messenger RNA) technology has demonstrated positive results against cancer in a Phase III trial.
The new drug, named “intismeran autogene,” is based on the same technology used to develop COVID-19 vaccines. It identifies the unique mutational signature of a patient’s tumor and trains the body’s immune system to target it directly.
The Phase III clinical trial lasted approximately one year and involved 1,137 patients. Following surgical removal of the tumor, two-thirds of participants received a combination of the new drug and a standard immunotherapy medication (pembrolizumab), while the remainder received pembrolizumab alone. Ultimately, the combination therapy effectively halted melanoma recurrence and the spread of cancer cells to other organs.
Independent experts, including oncologists from Oxford University and London’s Barts Cancer Institute, called the results “very encouraging,” noting that this serves as significant proof of concept for personalized cancer vaccines. However, they added that long-term observation—such as 3-year follow-up data—will be necessary to see the full picture.
Following the announcement of the successful clinical trial results, shares of Moderna rose by 129% (to $144), while Merck’s shares increased by more than 10% (to $150).
The companies are currently preparing to present detailed data at an international conference and submit applications for regulatory authorization. Concurrently, studies are ongoing to evaluate the drug’s efficacy against other tumor types, including lung, bladder, and kidney cancers. For context, melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer, with over 330,000 new cases recorded globally in 2022 alone.
