Merck Bets Moderna's Cancer Vaccines Can Prime Patients For Immunotherapy

 
• By Joseph Haas
  
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The companies will work together to develop personalized cancer vaccines against several tumor types, including an effort to pair a personalized vaccine with Keytruda.

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Merck & Co. Inc. placed a $200m wager on the potential for messenger RNA technology from privately held Moderna Therapeutics LLC to create cancer vaccines that will work well with the big pharma's immuno-oncology agents, such as Keytruda (pembrolizumab), including priming patients whose cancers might not otherwise respond to immunotherapy. The deal was announced on the same day that Galena Biopharma Inc. announced the termination of a Phase III breast trial, marking yet another cancer vaccine failure.

Under the deal disclosed on June 29, Merck will pay $200m up front to collaborate with Moderna on personalized mRNA...

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