A new cancer vaccine in combination with Keytruda improved survival and showed durable efficacy in a mid-stage study in patients with melanoma, according to data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.
Detailed data from the 157-patient trial showed that after 2.5 years, melanoma patients receiving the combination cancer vaccine produced by Moderna and Merck had an overall survival rate of 96%, compared with 90% with Keytruda alone.
About 75% of the patients on the vaccine combination had recurrence-free survival, compared with 55.6% on Keytruda alone.
The latest data offer more evidence of the vaccine's durability, after a December report showing a 49% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death among patients on the vaccine combination versus Keytruda alone, with a median follow-up of nearly 3 years.
The FDA gave the vaccine breakthrough therapy designation earlier this year.
Merck and Moderna are also conducting a late-stage study of their vaccine and Keytruda combination.