Tech · 10 d ago
A personalized mRNA vaccine cuts the risk of melanoma recurrence by 42 per cent
Vaccine and drug
82.2% recurrence-free
Drug alone
70% recurrence-free
At the end of follow-up, 82.2 per cent of patients who got both treatments were recurrence-free, against 70 per cent on the immunotherapy drug alone.
The Phase 3 trial by Merck and Moderna followed 1,137 people with high-risk melanoma whose tumours had been removed, for an average of 24.6 months.
What we know
- 42% lower risk of recurrence or death
- Mild side effects: fever, fatigue, pain
Not yet
- Approval by health authorities
- Whether it can scale affordably
The vaccine is still under investigation and needs approval from health authorities before wide use.
