Moderna soars 135% on cancer vaccine success

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• Moderna shares soar 135% in a day after cancer vaccine succeeds in late-stage trial.
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• Moderna shares surged after its personalized mRNA cancer vaccine trial indicated positive results.

Moderna shares soar 135% in a day after cancer vaccine succeeds in late-stage trial. By ETMarkets.comLast Updated: Aug 19, 2026, 07: 56: 00 PM IST.

Moderna shares surged after its personalized mRNA cancer vaccine trial indicated positive results. The treatment, combined with Keytruda, reduced melanoma recurrence and spread significantly. This marks the first successful late-stage trial for an mRNA cancer vaccine. The findings offer hope for future expansion beyond COVID-19 vaccines. Discussions with regulators are projected within the next few months.

Moderna shares rallied regarding 135% to $148.02 on Wednesday after its personalised mRNA cancer vaccine, developed with Merck, reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence and spread when combined with Keytruda in a late-stage trial, Reuters noted. The stock rose as high as $149.63 after closing the previous session at $62.96. As on 19 Aug 2026, 07: 40 PM IST.

Interim results from the ongoing study indicated that the treatment, Intismeran, met its primary goal of reducing cancer recurrence and its secondary objective of preventing tumours from spreading to other parts of the body, compared with Keytruda alone, Reuters noted. The results mark the first successful late-stage trial of an mRNA cancer vaccine. It is additionally the first study to show that adding another treatment to Keytruda worked better than Keytruda alone in patients whose melanoma had been surgically removed. Merck shares gained 11% to $150/14 in early trading. Live Events.

In practice, the findings could support ease investor worries regarding the businesses' long-term expansion prospects. While Merck is preparing for Keytruda, its blockbuster cancer therapy, to lose patent protection afterwards this decade, according to the Reuters report, moderna has been seeking expansion beyond its COVID-19 vaccine. William Blair analyst Myles Minter remarked the interim results put both businesses in a solid position to seek regulatory approval. He continued that the findings were additionally encouraging for ongoing studies of the vaccine in other types of cancer. Merck research and development chief Dean Li informed CNBC that the businesses projected to commence discussions with regulators within the next few months. Barclays analysts estimated last month that the therapy could generate regarding $3 billion in melanoma-related sales by 2035. Pricing remains undecided JP Morgan analysts informed Reuters the launch of Intismeran as an adjuvant treatment for melanoma would be crucial to Moderna's return to profitability. The therapy combines Merck's Keytruda with a made-to-order Moderna mRNA vaccine designed using an analysis of mutations discovered in each patient's tumour. For context, the trial enrolled 1, 137 high-risk patients with stage IIB to stage IV melanoma that had been surgically removed. Participants were randomly assigned to receive up to nine doses of the personalised vaccine alongside Keytruda, or Keytruda alone, for regarding one year. The firms stated no new safety reservations had emerged during the trial. In January, they published five-year results from a mid-stage study showing that the combination reduced the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 49%. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel remarked the businesses had not yet decided on a cost for the treatment as the latest data had become available only a few days earlier. Unlike some personalised cell therapies, the treatment does not employ a patient's own cells. It could allow the manufacturing process to be scaled up and costs to be reduced, Bancel stated. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. More than 1.5 million individuals in the United States were living with the disease in 2023, according to the National Cancer Institute (Disclaimer: This article is based on inputs from agencies. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times).

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