Moderna announced Wednesday that a Phase 3 trial of a personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine developed with Merck was successful, causing the company's stock to jump, according to reports.
Moderna shares surged on Wednesday following the announcement of successful Phase 3 results for its personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine, developed with Merck. The Zioneer reported at 20:11 Jerusalem that Merck and Moderna said the drug prevented cancer recurrence in a large trial. The positive results, announced by the companies on Wednesday afternoon, drove Moderna's stock sharply higher as investor confidence in the first-in-class treatment grew.
The story unfolded over Wednesday: At 15:04 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Merck and Moderna said the experimental melanoma drug prevented recurrence in a Phase 3 trial. Shortly afterward, at the same time stamp, the desk reported that Moderna's stock nearly doubled, and then surged past 110%. All three updates are based on company statements and market reports, with no conflicting sources.
As The Zioneer has previously reported, Merck's partnership with Moderna utilizes mRNA technology — the same platform used for COVID-19 vaccines — to create personalized treatments targeting the specific mutations of a patient's tumor. This marks a shift from broad-spectrum chemotherapy toward targeted biological intervention, and the companies are now testing the approach against other cancers.
No specific regulatory timeline has been disclosed. Moderna and Merck have not yet announced a submission date for approval, and further testing in other cancer types is ongoing.
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