Study: Moderna, Merck vaccines could cut melanoma's recurrence by 44 percent

There could be light at the end of the tunnel for individuals battling melanoma cancer. CBS News reported that researchers conducted a study to develop a "potential skin cancer vaccine" from Merck and Moderna, and found some promising results.

According to Reuters, a combination of Moderna's experimental melanoma vaccine and Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda "cut the risk of skin cancer's recurrence or death by 44 percent compared with Keytruda alone in a mid-stage trial."

Moderna's trial shot uses the same mRNA vaccine technology that has played an integral role in the success of COVID-19 vaccines, and the combination with Keytruda "has the capacity to be a new paradigm in the treatment of cancer," Paul Burton, Moderna's chief medical officer said in an interview.

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There were 157 melanoma patients involved in the ongoing clinical trial, and researchers noted side effects in 14.4 percent of the patients who received the drug-vaccine combo compared to 10 percent of people who were only administered Keytruda, writes Reuters.

CBS notes that the shares of both the pharmaceutical and biotech companies increased on Tuesday after researchers reported a positive outcome of the shots midway through the study.