Moderna and Merck melanoma vaccine cuts recurrence risk by 42%

In the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial, the personalized mRNA vaccine intismeran autogene combined with pembrolizumab reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42% versus immunotherapy alone. At two years, 82.2% of patients on the combination remained recurrence-free compared with 70% in the control group.

• The trial enrolled 1,137 patients with high-risk melanoma removed by surgery
• At two years, 82.2% on the combination were recurrence-free versus 70% in controls
• Risk of distant spread or death fell by 38%
• Side effects occurred in 14.2% on the combination and 13.4% on pembrolizumab alone