Loveth Ugwu
Pharma giants Merck and Moderna have teamed up to develop a cancer vaccine which uses MRNA technology and specimens of genetic codes from patients’ tumors to stimulate the body to fight off cancer.
The new vaccine is designed for people with high melanoma (a dark malignant tumor on the skin). The vaccine is administered on the victims post-surgery to prevent the tumor from returning, and no two shots will be the same.
This means it could be expensive to make individual vaccine, since no two persons can have the same shot. Similar vaccines could cost around $100,000 and is predicted that the new shot will be more expensive.
According a report in Daily Mail, Merck and Moderna will share the production and commercial costs and profits if it goes to market.
MRNA is leading the frontier of potential cancer cures after the technology was fast-tracked during the pandemic, leading to the most successful COVID Vaccines – made by Pfizer and Moderna.
As part of the recent deal, Merck will pay $250 million to Moderna for joint rights to the cancer vaccine. The two drug manufacturers have been running trials of the vaccine together after forming a strategic partnership.
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In the last two studies,157 patients were given personalized vaccines alongside Merck’s immunotherapy drug, Keytruda.
They are being compared to a control group who also have high-risk melanoma but are only given Keytruda. The trial has been going on for the over a year.
When proven to be effective, the vaccine will be tried on a much larger group involving thousands of patients.
The vaccine is being given in nine doses every three weeks, along with one course of Keytruda every three weeks.
Dr.Stephen Hoge, Moderna’s president, said he was excited about the future and the impact MRNA can have as a new treatment paradigm in the management of cancer. ’
