Why Moderna Stock Surged Today
Key Points
Moderna's and Merck's partnership could help to advance cancer care.
A promising skin cancer trial might have broader implications for other types of tumor treatments.
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Shares of Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) popped on Wednesday after the biotech leader announced positive clinical trial results for its experimental skin cancer vaccine, developed with healthcare giant Merck.
By the close of trading, Moderna's stock price was up more than 15%.
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Hopeful news for people with skin cancer
Five-year follow-up data from a phase 2 study of patients with high-risk melanoma who had undergone surgery showed that Moderna's investigational messenger RNA (mRNA)-based therapy, intismeran autogene, when combined with Merck's Keytruda therapy, reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% compared to Keytruda alone.
"For many patients with stage III/IV melanoma, there is a significant risk of recurrence following surgery," Merck executive Dr. Marjorie Green said in a press release. "As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and Keytruda to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone."
A broad range of potential use cases
Intismeran autogene is an individualized therapy designed to trigger an antitumor immune response based on the unique mutations in a patient's tumor.
Moderna and Merck have other clinical trials underway to evaluate the potential of their targeted technology to treat several different types of tumors, including those found in patients with lung, kidney, and bladder cancer.
"We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA's potential in cancer care," Moderna executive Dr. Kyle Holen said.
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Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Merck and Moderna. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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