Moderna surges after skin cancer vaccine combined with Merck's Keytruda wins late-stage trial

Shares of drugmaker Moderna MRNA.O surged 72% to $109.02, while Merck MRK.N was up 5.5% premarket.

Moderna's personalized skin cancer vaccine in combination with Merck's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda reduced skin cancer recurrence and spread compared with Keytruda alone in a late-stage trial, the companies said.

The treatment combines Merck's Keytruda with a made-to-order mRNA vaccine from Moderna that is based on an analysis of mutations found in the patients' own tumors.

The trial enrolled 1,137 high-risk patients with stage IIB-IV melanoma that had been surgically removed.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. In 2023, more than 1.5 million people were living with melanoma in the U.S., according to National Cancer Institute data.

As of last close, MRNA stock had more than doubled and MRK was up 28% year to date.