Pharmaceutical companies Merck and Moderna have released trial results for a personalised mRNA vaccine for melanoma, a serious skin cancer. When combined with the immunotherapy drug Pembrolizumab, the vaccine reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42 percent compared with the drug alone. The Phase 3 trial involved 1,137 people with high-risk melanoma who had their tumours surgically removed. Georgina Long, medical director of the Australian Melanoma Institute and the study's principal investigator, called the results transformative. The companies say the vaccine is not designed to prevent melanoma and remains under investigation before wider use.
A personalised cancer vaccine has cut the risk of melanoma recurrence and death by 42 per cent, according to an Australian-led phase 3 trial. Melanoma Institute Australia medical director Georgina Long said the result was higher than she expected. The treatment combines a vaccine made from each patient's tumour with the immunotherapy pembrolizumab after surgery. The trial included 1,137 patients across 157 sites worldwide, including several in Australia. Regulatory review could take several years, and the treatment is not yet available.
An Australian-led Phase 3 trial has found a personalised mRNA cancer vaccine cut the risk of melanoma returning two years after surgery by 42 per cent. The vaccine, developed by Moderna and Merck, was given alongside the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab. Among participants given both treatments, 82 per cent were melanoma-free, compared with 70 per cent of those given only pembrolizumab. Professor Georgina Long, who leads the trial, said the results were a meaningful step forward for patients. Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel said the impact was very profound.
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Moderna and Merck say their mRNA cancer vaccine, combined with Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda, cut the risk of melanoma death or recurrence by 42 per cent in a Phase 3 trial of more than 1100 patients. The combination also cut the risk of the cancer spreading by 38 per cent. After two years, 82.2 per cent of patients receiving both treatments remained cancer-free, compared with 70 per cent of those given Keytruda alone. Moderna says it expects the vaccine to launch in 2027, and the combination is being tested in other cancers, including kidney, bladder and lung cancer.
An Australian-led trial has found that an mRNA cancer vaccine significantly reduces the risk of melanoma returning and of skin cancer deaths. The Phase 3 trial involved 1137 high-risk melanoma patients. Two thirds received the vaccine alongside the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, while the rest received a placebo injection. After two years, 82 per cent of those given both treatments were alive and cancer-free, compared with 70 per cent of those given pembrolizumab alone. Researchers said the result was a major breakthrough.
Moderna and Merck say their tailored mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran, cut the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42 per cent after two years. The vaccine is combined with Keytruda and is built from up to 34 mutations found in each patient's own cancer cells. After two years, 82 per cent of patients on the combination were alive without recurrence, compared with 70 per cent of those given Keytruda and a placebo. The treatment also reduced the risk of the cancer spreading to another part of the body by 38 per cent.
Four-year-old Maxi Catania is in remission after a nine-month battle with an aggressive form of leukaemia. Her mother, Jana Catania, said the treatment was gruelling. On Tuesday, the WA government and Channel 7 Telethon Trust announced more than $4 million for seven child health research projects. One project, led by Dr Sebastien Malinge at the University of Western Australia, is developing immunotherapy aimed at making treatment less toxic. Ms Catania credited Telethon and Perth's PCH for her daughter's care.
