Moderna hopes to offer new cancer vaccine in two years

Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, reveals that the company’s experimental melanoma vaccine could reach the market in just two years, marking a historic milestone in the fight against the most serious form of skin cancer.

With 325,000 new cases and 57,000 deaths worldwide by 2020, melanoma is a global health concern.

Bancel points out that “in some countries, the product could be launched with accelerated approval by 2025″, highlighting the potential positive impact of this new therapeutic vaccine.

Unlike conventional vaccines, these therapeutic vaccines not only prevent, but also treat diseases by training the immune system against the invading agent.

Bancel describes therapeutic vaccines as “immunotherapy 2.0” and highlights the support for Moderna’s projects with the recent results of clinical trials, which reveal significant improvements in the chances of survival thanks to the vaccine.

The technology behind this breakthrough is messenger RNA (mRNA), previously successful in treating severe forms of Covid-19.

In a study of 157 people with advanced melanoma, Moderna’s vaccine, combined with Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda, reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 49% over three years, compared with Keytruda alone.

Earlier results in 2022 had already shown a 44 % risk reduction over two years. Bancel highlights the growing difference in survival over time, stressing that the rate of side effects has not increased.

“We have a 50 % survival rate compared to the best product on the market. This is monumental in oncology,” says Bancel, highlighting the importance of this medical breakthrough.

K. Tovar

Source: Bancaynegocios

(Source image reference: Braňo, Unsplash)

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