Moderna shares surge on cancer trial combo with Merck treatment

Shares in Moderna surged on Thursday after trial results of its experimental cancer vaccine, used in conjunction with Merck’s Keytruda treatment, reduced the risk of death or relapse in patients with the most deadly form of skin cancer after three years.

The duo said the combination of drugs slashed the risk of death or recurrence by 49% in patients in later stages of the disease compared to those who received Keytruda only after three years. It also reduced the risk of melanoma spreading to other parts of the body by 62%.

"These data add another positive analysis to the multiple endpoints and subgroups previously assessed in this study," said Dr. Kyle Holen, head of development, therapeutics and oncology at Moderna.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com