Merck, Moderna detail potential skin cancer vaccine progress

By TOM MURPHY
AP Health Writer

Moderna’s stock soared Tuesday after the COVID-19 vaccine maker detailed progress in developing another potential preventive shot for a deadly form of skin cancer. The company said a melanoma vaccine it is developing with pharmaceutical giant Merck fared well in a small study of patients who have had the cancer surgically removed. The drugmakers said a combination of the vaccine and Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda led to a statistically significant improvement in survival before the cancer returned in patients with advanced melanoma. That combination was compared with Keytruda alone in a mid-stage clinical trial of 157 patients.