At Cowen’s 43rd Annual Healthcare Conference in Boston, Stephen Hoge, President of Moderna, revealed that the company is seeking the FDA’s accelerated approval for their personalized cancer vaccine. This could be a game changer in the fight against cancer, offering a promising new treatment option for those affected by the disease.
In December 2022, Merck released the findings from the Phase IIb KEYNOTE-942 trial, which showed that their investigational mRNA vaccine in combination with their Keytruda (pembrolizumab) significantly improved recurrence-free survival in patients with stage III/IV melanoma. This exciting news marks a major milestone in the development of this promising vaccine, offering hope for those battling this aggressive form of skin cancer.
The combination regimen of Keytruda and chemotherapy proved to be a powerful tool in the fight against cancer recurrence and death, reducing the risk by a remarkable 44%. The combination had a hazard ratio of 0.56, compared to Keytruda alone, a testament to its effectiveness.
Moderna’s vaccine proved to be safe, boasting a profile that matched what was previously established. Those who received the combined regimen experienced treatment-related serious adverse events 14.4% of the time, whereas those who only received Keytruda had a 10% rate of such events.
We are hopeful that our randomized 150-person Phase IIb study may eventually lead to an accelerated approval. While it is too early to make any definitive statements, we remain optimistic that the data will support this outcome.
The FDA has bestowed its Breakthrough Therapy designation on Merck’s cancer vaccine candidate, allowing the pharmaceutical giant to move forward with its joint development and commercialization efforts. This promising investigational shot is now poised to take a giant leap forward in the fight against cancer.
Moderna’s revolutionary cancer vaccine is designed to provide a personalized approach to fighting cancer. By decoding up to 34 neoantigens based on a patient’s unique tumor, this vaccine helps the body identify and eliminate cancer cells. With this breakthrough development, cancer patients may have a powerful new tool in their fight against the disease.
The Path Forward
At the WSJ Health Conference in Boston on Monday, Stéphane Bancel, CEO of the company, revealed that their investigational vaccine will be tested against cancers that Keytruda has already been shown to be effective against. He expressed optimism that the vaccine could be a successful tool in treating these diseases.
Moving forward, Moderna is set to take their vaccine to the next level, pushing it into therapeutic areas where blockbuster drugs have failed to make a mark. According to CEO Stephane Bancel, this is an exciting new direction for the company.
At the Cowen’s conference, Moderna’s CEO Stephen Hoge shared promising results from the recent Phase IIb data for the company’s cancer vaccine. Further, the company is currently conducting additional analyses to further understand the efficacy of the vaccine and to study the evolution of the hazard ratio over time. This news is certainly encouraging for the potential of the vaccine in the future.
The company is exploring the potential of utilizing translational biomarker data to determine which patients may be more likely to experience a positive treatment response and benefit from the shot. By analyzing a candidate’s biomarker data, they are optimistic that they can accurately predict which individuals are likely to respond best to the treatment.
Moderna is actively conducting analyses and plans to share their findings at upcoming medical conferences. Stay tuned for the exciting results that these analyses could potentially uncover!