Moderna and Merck's Cancer Vaccine Treatment Shows Promise in Clinical Trials.

Moderna and Merck's cancer vaccine, mRNA-4157 (V940), in combination with Merck's Keytruda, showed a 44% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death in a 157-person trial for melanoma patients. The treatment had mild side effects and 79% of patients were cancer-free after 18 months, compared to 62% who received only Keytruda. The companies plan to initiate a Phase 3 study this year and expand the treatment to other types of tumors. The combination treatment has been designated as a breakthrough therapy by the FDA and EMA.