Moderna doubles after skin cancer vaccine combined with Merck's Keytruda wins late-stage trial

Moderna

19/08/2026 14:59

Updates
** Shares of drugmaker Moderna MRNA.O surge 105% to an over two-year high of $129.43, while Merck MRK.N was up 10% in morning trading, hitting a record high 
 ** MRNA stock is set for the biggest one-day percentage jump if gains hold
** MRNA's personalized skin cancer vaccine in combination with MRK's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda reduced skin cancer recurrence and spread compared with Keytruda alone in a late-stage trial, the companies say
** The treatment combines Merck's Keytruda with a made-to-order mRNA vaccine from Moderna that is based on an analysis of mutations found in the patients' own tumors
** The trial enrolled 1,137 high-risk patients with stage IIB-IV melanoma that had been surgically removed
** Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. In 2023, more than 1.5 million people were living with melanoma in the U.S., according to National Cancer Institute data
** Including session's move, MRNA more than quadrupled and MRK was up 41% YTD 

(Reporting by Padmanabhan Ananthan)
((Padmanabhan.Ananthan@thomsonreuters.com))