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What happened
Actions of Modern (NASDAQ: ARNM) were up 9.3% as of 3:24 p.m. EST Wednesday. The big payoff came after Biotech announced interim data from an early stage clinical study evaluating its personalized cancer vaccine mRNA-4157 in combination MerckKeytruda cancer immunotherapy.
So what
Moderna’s interim results came from an expanding cohort of its ongoing Phase 1 study that included 10 patients with HPV negative squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) and 17 cancer patients colorectal stable by micro-satellite (MSS-CRC). Two of the HNSCC patients who received the mRNA-4157 / Keytruda combo achieved a complete response without any cancer being detected. Three other HNSCC patients achieved partial remission.
Image source: Getty Images.
The company said the data obtained so far shows that mRNA-4157 is well tolerated. The adverse events that were reported in the study were generally of low severity and reversible. The only negative point with Moderna’s interim results was that no response was seen in patients with MSS-CRC who received the mRNA-4157 / Keytruda combo.
These results are expected to increase investor confidence in Moderna’s pipeline beyond its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The company has four other clinical-stage mRNA candidates targeting cancer, including another investigational cancer vaccine in Phase 1.
Now what
Moderna will now expand the size of the HNSCC patient cohort in the Phase 1 study of mRNA-4157 and Keytruda. The big story for the biotech stock, however, remains its mRNA-1273 coronavirus vaccine candidate. Moderna expects to have enough safety data to file an FDA emergency use authorization for the investigational vaccine later this month.
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