International News: Could this be a Cancer vaccine breakthrough? Moderna stock soars

By Zoila Palma:  Moderna’s stock surged more than 140% on Wednesday after the company announced promising results from a clinical trial of an experimental personalized mRNA vaccine designed to treat melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer.

Moderna and its development partner, Merck, said the treatment helped prevent melanoma from returning or spreading in high-risk patients.

Moderna shares jumped $91.52, or 145%, to $154.48 in morning trading after reaching an intraday high of $163, CBS reports.

The study involved patients with high-risk melanoma who had undergone surgery to remove their tumors. Researchers tested Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine, intismeran, in combination with Merck’s Keytruda, an immunotherapy drug.

The companies said the combination extended the time before the cancer returned and reduced the risk of the disease spreading to other organs.

The drugmakers plan to present the unpublished findings to regulators at an upcoming international medical meeting.

Professor Georgina Long, the study’s principal investigator, described the results as a “landmark moment for adjuvant melanoma treatment,” saying the study is the first of its kind to demonstrate a reduction in the risk of recurrence or death among melanoma patients.

The Skin Cancer Foundation estimates that more than 234,000 melanoma cases will be diagnosed in the United States in 2026. Merck Research Laboratories President Dr. Dean Y. Li said the findings highlight the importance of treating cancer earlier, when it may be more responsive to treatment, while Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel called the results a “pivotal moment for the field of cancer research.”

The companies said the personalized mRNA approach could potentially transform treatment after surgery by tailoring therapy to an individual patient’s cancer.

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