Moderna and Merck report five-year melanoma vaccine results.

Five-year Phase 2b data reported by Moderna and Merck showed their cancer vaccine plus Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared with Keytruda alone.

Moderna and Merck reported five-year follow-up results from a Phase 2b melanoma trial. The companies said their cancer vaccine, given with Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda, reduced the risk of relapse or death by 49% compared with Keytruda alone. The firms had previously released promising three-year data and said the effect remained at five years. A Moderna executive framed the result as an example of mRNA’s potential in cancer care. Key findings: - Reported five-year data come from a Phase 2b melanoma trial. - The vaccine plus Keytruda was reported to reduce the risk of recurrence or death by 49% versus Keytruda alone. - The companies said the five-year results continued to show improvement after earlier three-year data. - Moderna’s senior vice president Kyle Holen was quoted saying the outcome illustrates mRNA’s potential in cancer care and that the company continues to invest in oncology. - The article reports the companies have eight ongoing Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials across tumor types, including melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma. Summary: The five-year Phase 2b results reported by Moderna and Merck show a lower reported risk of melanoma relapse or death when the vaccine was added to Keytruda. The companies noted this follows earlier promising three-year data and that development is under way across multiple tumor types. Undetermined at this time.