- Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:) said Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) had exercised an option to jointly develop and potentially sell personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine.
- Personalized cancer vaccines prime the immune system so patients can generate a tailored antitumor response to their tumor mutation signature to treat their cancer.
- mRNA-4157/V940 is designed to stimulate an immune response by generating T-cell responses based on the mutational signature of a patient's tumor.
- Also Read: Moderna Says No To China's Request To Handover COVID-19 Vaccine Technology.
- In a Phase 2 trial, the vaccine mRNA-4157 is being tested along with Merck's blockbuster cancer immunotherapy Keytruda as adjuvant treatment for patients with high-risk melanoma conducted by Moderna.
- Data on the vaccine is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.
- Under the agreement, initially established in 2016 and amended in 2018, Merck will pay Moderna $250 million to exercise its option for personalized cancer vaccines. Merck and Moderna will share costs and profits equally under this worldwide collaboration.
- Price Action: MRNA shares are up 12.30% at $135.52 during the premarket session on the last check Wednesday.
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