--- title: "Moderna and Merck melanoma vaccine cuts risk of recurrence or death by 42% in Phase 3 trial" description: "Moderna says it will 'go as fast as we can' toward FDA approval of intismeran, a customized mRNA therapy tested in melanoma." url: https://lifestyle-health.skoop.news/moderna-ceo-on-whats-next-after-success-in-cancer-vaccine-4af163/ published: 2026-10-27T04:49:29.658211-04:00 modified: 2026-10-27T04:49:29.658226-04:00 section: "Lifestyle & Health" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["Moderna", "Michael Postow of Memorial Sloan Kettering", "England Journal of Medicine", "Cancer Immunotherapy", "Karen Knudsen", "Moderna CEO", "Parker Institute", "Bancel", "Merck", "Phase"] hashtags: ["#EnglandJournalOfMedicine", "#CancerImmunotherapy", "#lifestyle", "#wellness"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Ellis_Island_hospital_window_mural_%2801897%29.jpg/1280px-Ellis_Island_hospital_window_mural_%2801897%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # Moderna and Merck melanoma vaccine cuts risk of recurrence or death by 42% in Phase 3 trial > Moderna says it will 'go as fast as we can' toward FDA approval of intismeran, a customized mRNA therapy tested in melanoma. Published 2026-10-27 · Updated 2026-10-27 · Lifestyle & Health, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - A customized mRNA vaccine cut the risk of death or recurrence by 42% in a Phase 3 melanoma trial, when combined with Keytruda. [[1]](https://www.tikr.com/blog/merck-stock-moderna-melanoma-vaccine-42-percent?ref=yahoofinance) - The vaccine, intismeran autogene, is built around mutations unique to each patient's tumor. [[1]](https://www.tikr.com/blog/merck-stock-moderna-melanoma-vaccine-42-percent?ref=yahoofinance) - The intismeran program was a decade of Moderna research, boosted by a partnership with Merck. [[2]](https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/26/moderna-ceo-stephane-bancel-interview-cancer-vaccine-intismeran/) ## The finding A customized mRNA vaccine cut the risk of death or recurrence by 42% in a Phase 3 melanoma trial, when combined with Keytruda. [[1]](https://www.tikr.com/blog/merck-stock-moderna-melanoma-vaccine-42-percent?ref=yahoofinance) That result matters to patients with melanoma, because the presentation at the ESMO meeting was of the first Phase 3 study to successfully show that a customized mRNA-based therapy called intismeran could improve outcomes for them. [[2]](https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/26/moderna-ceo-stephane-bancel-interview-cancer-vaccine-intismeran/) After a median period of about two years, the vaccine plus pembrolizumab reduced the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 42% compared with pembrolizumab alone. [[3]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) Michael Postow of Memorial Sloan Kettering called the main advance that fewer patients will see their cancer return. [[3]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) ## How the vaccine is built The vaccine, intismeran autogene, is built around mutations unique to each patient's tumor. [[1]](https://www.tikr.com/blog/merck-stock-moderna-melanoma-vaccine-42-percent?ref=yahoofinance) Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the results reinforce the company's conviction that mRNA can change how cancer is treated at a basic level. [[3]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) ## A decade of work and a skeptical field The intismeran program was a decade of Moderna research, boosted by a partnership with Merck. [[2]](https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/26/moderna-ceo-stephane-bancel-interview-cancer-vaccine-intismeran/) Bancel said Moderna has been working on intismeran for 10 years. [[2]](https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/26/moderna-ceo-stephane-bancel-interview-cancer-vaccine-intismeran/) Most people in the field thought intismeran-style cancer vaccines would never work, and many people had tried cancer vaccines before. [[2]](https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/26/moderna-ceo-stephane-bancel-interview-cancer-vaccine-intismeran/) Moderna announced the trial's success in August without releasing data, and its stock rose over 300% after that announcement. [[1]](https://www.tikr.com/blog/merck-stock-moderna-melanoma-vaccine-42-percent?ref=yahoofinance) ## What the results do not yet show The findings do not yet include overall survival, according to Karen Knudsen, CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. [[3]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) The results have been accepted for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, according to Merck and Moderna. [[3]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) ## What it means for you If you or someone you know has melanoma, the trial gives one concrete number: a 42% lower risk of recurrence or death with the vaccine plus pembrolizumab than with pembrolizumab alone. [[3]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) Overall survival is not yet part of the findings, so that question is still open. [[3]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) The companies are engaging with regulatory authorities to seek approval for the mRNA vaccine. [[3]](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) Bancel said the company intends to 'go as fast as we can' in seeking FDA approval for intismeran. [[2]](https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/26/moderna-ceo-stephane-bancel-interview-cancer-vaccine-intismeran/) ## Sources 1. [Moderna And Merck Cancer Vaccine Cuts Melanoma Death Risk By 42%](https://www.tikr.com/blog/merck-stock-moderna-melanoma-vaccine-42-percent?ref=yahoofinance) — Yahoo Finance 2. [Moderna CEO on what’s next after success in cancer vaccine](https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/26/moderna-ceo-stephane-bancel-interview-cancer-vaccine-intismeran/) — STAT 3. [Here’s what the new Merck-Moderna mRNA cancer vaccine data actually show](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-what-modernas-latest-mrna-cancer-vaccine-data-actually-show/) — Scientific American Image: Photo (illustrative): Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ellis_Island_hospital_window_mural_(01897).jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/