Moderna, Merck cancer vaccine combo cuts melanoma recurrence by 44%

From Reuters:

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/moderna-merck-vaccine-combo-cut-melanoma-recurrence-by-44-study-2022-12-13/

In a mid-stage trial, looks like the mRNA cancer vaccine from Moderna coupled with Merck's immuntherapy drug cut recurrence & death by 44%:

​

Paul Burton, Moderna's chief medical officer, said in a separate interview the combination “has the capacity to be a new paradigm in the treatment of cancer.”

The ongoing study involved 157 patients with stage III/IV melanoma whose tumors were surgically removed before being treated with the drug/vaccine combo or Keytruda alone with the aim of delaying disease recurrence.

The combination was generally safe and showed a statistically significant benefit compared with Keytruda alone after a year of treatment. Serious drug-related side effects occurred in 14.4% of patients who received the drug-vaccine combination compared with 10% with Keytruda alone.