Moderna vaccine cuts recurrence and spread of high-risk melanoma, raising new treatment hope

Moderna said on Wednesday that a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine reduced the ​risk of recurrence and spread of melanoma in a late-stage trial, a major success in a new field of cancer treatment that sent the drugmaker's ‌shares surging as much as 160%.

Moderna developed the vaccine with Merck and tested it together with immunotherapy drug Keytruda, a widely used treatment for melanoma. Thousands of patients who have undergone surgery to remove high-risk melanoma tumors could benefit as soon as next year if regulators approve the vaccine, Moderna President Stephen Hoge said in an interview.