Moderna shares plunge after cancer vaccine data leaks
Moderna released full data on its closely watched cancer vaccine developed with Merck.
TL;DR
- Moderna shares dropped up to 25% following a leak of partial data on its cancer vaccine developed with Merck.
- The personalized vaccine, intismeran autogene, when paired with Merck's Keytruda, reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42% in certain melanoma patients.
- At two years, about 82% of patients receiving the vaccine plus Keytruda were alive without melanoma recurrence, compared to 70% with Keytruda alone.
- The additional benefit of the vaccine comes with milder toxicity compared to other cancer treatments.
- Analysts suggest the stock drop reflects inflated expectations rather than a flaw in the therapy's efficacy.
- The targeted vaccine is being studied for other cancer types, including lung, bladder, and renal cell carcinoma.
- The personalized nature of the vaccine requires a complex manufacturing process that currently takes six weeks, with efforts to shorten this timeline.