Moderna's CEO Stéphane Bancel believes the biotech firm can achieve the "holy grail" of cancer prevention. The company's personalised mRNA vaccine, developed with Merck, showed successful late-stage results for melanoma treatment in August. This success catapulted Moderna from the most shorted stock in the S&P 500 to the best performer year-to-date.
Bancel stated the experimental therapy could "over time...actually be bigger than Keytruda," which generated $31.7bn in revenue for Merck last year. The treatment provides custom-made vaccines based on each patient's specific tumours. Moderna is conducting early-stage trials to prevent cancer in high-risk populations with Lynch syndrome, affecting one in 300 people.
Bancel believes the probability of success is "actually very high." If successful, it would be a "game changer" for affected families and cut healthcare costs. Bancel envisions patients receiving annual shots at pharmacies with the safety profile of flu shots. The company is also exploring the approach for BRCA mutation carriers.
In October, the vaccine combined with Keytruda reduced melanoma recurrence or death risk by 58 per cent. Trials are now running in bladder and lung cancers. Bancel believes the technology could treat earlier stage cancers beyond Keytruda's current range.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing