Moderna stock more than doubles after melanoma vaccine trial shows “landmark moment”
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Moderna Shares Soar After Personalized Melanoma Vaccine Clears Key Trial
Wertynews.com – Wall Street rewarded Moderna with a dramatic rally on Wednesday morning as the biotech firm revealed that its experimental mRNA-based therapy successfully kept melanoma from recurring or metastasizing in a cohort of high-risk patients. The stock jumped $91.52 — a 145% gain — to close the morning session at $154.48, briefly touching an intraday peak of $163. Partner Merck also climbed, adding $14.35 (10.6%) to reach $149.52.
Clinical Findings
The trial enrolled individuals who had already undergone surgical excision of a melanoma lesion. Researchers evaluated whether the companies’ personalized vaccine, intismeran, administered alongside Merck’s immunotherapy agent Keytruda, could lower the chance of the cancer reappearing. The combined regimen extended the duration of remission and blocked dissemination to distant organs.
Moderna and Merck intend to submit the as-yet-unpublished dataset to regulatory authorities following an upcoming international oncology conference.
Researchers Call It a Turning Point
“Today’s results represent a landmark moment for adjuvant melanoma treatment,” said Professor Georgina Long, principal investigator of the study and chair of the Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research unit at the University of Sydney, in a Wednesday statement.
Long emphasized that this represents the first study of its nature demonstrating that a post-surgical intervention can “reduce the risk of recurrence or death in patients” carrying a melanoma diagnosis. She went on to note the advancement “has the potential to establish a new treatment paradigm in the adjuvant melanoma setting, helping patients remain cancer-free for longer.”
“By intervening earlier in the course of disease, when many cancers are considered most treatable, the goal of adjuvant therapy given after surgery is to increase the possibility of cure for more patients,” stated Dr. Dean Y. Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories.
“For many years, the idea of creating an mRNA treatment designed specifically for an individual patient’s cancer was aspirational. We are now helping turn that vision into a reality,” added Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s chief executive, describing the findings as a “pivotal moment for the field of cancer research.”
Melanoma Context
Melanoma originates in melanocytes — the pigment-producing cells of the skin — and is defined by their unchecked proliferation, per the Mayo Clinic. The Skin Cancer Foundation projects that more than 234,680 new melanoma diagnoses will be made in the United States in 2026, while over 8,500 Americans are expected to die from the disease this year.
Despite Wednesday’s surge, Moderna’s share price remains well below the heights it reached during the pandemic years of late 2021 and 2022, when worldwide demand for its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine propelled the stock to record levels.
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