Health & Science · October 22, 2026
Cancer Vaccine Cuts the Risk of Melanoma Recurrence, Merck and Moderna Report
Pharmaceutical companies Merck and Moderna released clinical trial data showing that an experimental, personalized mRNA vaccine significantly reduces the risk of recurrence or death in patients with late-stage melanoma. The phase 3 trial, involving over 1,100 participants, demonstrated that the vaccine—when used in combination with the immunotherapy drug Keytruda—reduced recurrence risk by 42% over two years compared to Keytruda alone. The treatment, known as intismeran, uses mRNA technology to train the immune system to recognize specific proteins unique to a patient's tumor cells after surgical removal.
Read the original coverage
Cancer Vaccine Cuts the Risk of Melanoma Recurrence, Merck and Moderna Report
Read at The New York Times ↗- STATTrade
Detailed data confirm Moderna and Merck cancer vaccine met key endpoints in melanoma trial
Read at STAT ↗ - TimeMainstream
A Personalized Cancer Vaccine Lowers Melanoma Recurrence by 42%
Read at Time ↗
Reported by multiple outlets
- The trial results were announced on October 22, 2026.
- The vaccine, intismeran, reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42%.
- The trial involved patients with Stage 2B to Stage 4 melanoma who had undergone surgery.
- The treatment combines the mRNA vaccine with Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda.
- The vaccine is personalized to each patient by genetically sequencing their specific tumor proteins.
Reported by only some outlets
- The trial involved more than 1,130 participants.
- Results were presented at the European Society of Medical Oncology meeting in Madrid.
- The vaccine regimen consists of up to nine doses administered every three weeks.
- The vaccine targets 34 specific proteins on tumor cells.
What the evidence actually shows
The phase 3 clinical trial of intismeran (a personalized mRNA vaccine) combined with Keytruda showed a 42% reduction in the risk of cancer recurrence or death in patients with resected Stage 2B-4 melanoma compared to those receiving Keytruda alone. The vaccine targets 34 patient-specific neoantigens and is administered over approximately one year.
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