Merck and Moderna Report Phase 3 Win for Keytruda Plus Personalized mRNA Vaccine in Melanoma

Merck and Moderna announced promising results from a Phase 3 trial of their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine combined with Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda in skin cancer, marking the first time a therapy of this kind has succeeded at that stage of clinical testing. The trial enrolled more than 1,100 patients with melanoma who had tumors surgically removed, and the combination cut the risk of cancer recurrence compared with the control group. No new safety signals were identified beyond those already associated with Keytruda alone.

The Phase 3 readout builds on five-year data from an earlier mid-stage trial, presented in June, which showed the vaccine had cut recurrence risk by roughly half and reduced the risk of the cancer spreading to new sites. The companies said the trial is ongoing and full results have not yet been released, with follow-up continuing to assess whether the regimen extends overall survival.

Elsewhere in the healthcare sector, DexCom shares gained after a publication in the New England Journal of Medicine was seen boosting prospects for expanded Medicare coverage of its continuous glucose monitors. Eli Lilly, meanwhile, drew attention in a Forbes profile examining the concentration risk facing CEO Dave Ricks's company, with more than 60% of revenue now tied to its weight-loss and diabetes drugs and key patents expected to expire in the 2030s.