WASHINGTON: US drugmakers Merck and Moderna said Wednesday a personalized cancer treatment had shown success in reducing the recurrence of melanoma tumors in a late-stage trial hailed by experts as a “breakthrough.”
The news sent shares in Moderna soaring 145 percent to $154 while Merck’s stock was up more than 12 percent to $152.
The drug, called “intismeran autogene,” is based on the same messenger RNA technology behind Covid-19 vaccines.
Researchers have for years been trying to apply mRNA treatments against cancer, but this was the first time such a drug showed positive results in a large, late-stage clinical trial.
“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for Moderna, for mRNA science and, most importantly, for patients with cancer,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement.
