Moderna Shares Rise On Five-Year Follow-Up Takeaways For Skin Cancer Vaccine: Retail Applauds ‘Solid’ Update

Intismeran autogene vaccine, in combination with cancer drug Keytruda, reduced the risk of recurrence or death at five years of follow-up, the company said.

• The clinically meaningful improvement in recurrence-free survival builds on the analyses conducted at about two years of follow-up as well as three years of follow-up.
• Moderna and Merck said that they now plan to present further data from the follow-up at an upcoming medical meeting.
• Moderna is currently seeking to pivot into oncology and rare-disease therapeutics.

Moderna (MRNA) and Merck (MRK) said on Tuesday that their intismeran autogene vaccine based on messenger RNA (mRNA), in combination with cancer drug Keytruda, reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% in certain patients with high-risk melanoma on five years of follow-up when compared to Keytruda alone.

The improvement was observed in patients with stage III/IV melanoma who had complete removal of their tumors. Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells.

Moderna and Merck said that they now plan to present further data from the follow-up at an upcoming medical meeting.

Executives’ Take

The clinically meaningful improvement in recurrence-free survival builds on the analyses conducted at about two years of follow-up, as well as three years of follow-up, the companies said.

"We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA's potential in cancer care. We look forward to several additional milestones to come, including the results of our Phase 3 study in adjuvant melanoma in collaboration with Merck, and continued progress across the eight Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies in multiple tumor types and patient populations," Moderna's Senior Vice President and Head of Development of Oncology and Therapeutics Kyle Holen said.

Moderna is currently seeking to pivot into oncology and rare-disease therapeutics. "Over the next three years, we expect to build a large seasonal vaccine franchise for at-risk populations and invest the cash generated into oncology and rare disease therapeutics," CEO Stéphane Bancel said in November.

Investment in late-stage oncology and rare disease programs will set the company up for additional growth in 2027 and 2028, as per the firm.

Shares of MRNA traded 1.1% higher at the time of writing while MRK stock traded marginally in the red.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around MRNA stock fell from ‘extremely bullish’ to ‘bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume dipped from ‘extremely high’ to ‘high’ levels.

Meanwhile, sentiment around MRK shares stayed within the ‘neutral’ territory, coupled with ‘normal’ message volume.

A Stocktwits user opined that the news is “solid” for Moderna’s oncology segment.

Another user voiced hopes for the stock crossing the $50/share price this week.

MRNA shares have gained 18% over the past 12 months while MRK shares have gained 13%. 

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