Moderna and Merck Announce Collaboration to Co-Develop Personalized Cancer Vaccine mRNA-4157/V940

Intelligent Finance APP learned that Moderna (MRNA.US) will jointly develop the cancer vaccine MRNA-4157/V940 with Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK.US). Moderna stated that it is currently evaluating the combination of mRNA-4157/V940 and Merck's blockbuster anti-cancer drug Keytruda in a Phase 2 trial named KEYNOTE-942, as an adjuvant treatment for high-risk melanoma patients. As of press time, Moderna rose nearly 12% at the beginning of trading, to $134.73.

According to reports, under the agreement initially signed in 2016 and revised in 2018, Merck will pay Moderna $250 million to exercise its option for PCV, including mRNA-4157/V940, and will collaborate on development and commercialization.

Moreover, Moderna stated in a press release on October 12 that Merck would reimburse this amount in the third quarter of 2022 and include it in its non-GAAP (non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) results. Finally, under global collaboration, these two companies will split costs and profits equally.

Notably, Moderna pointed out that the principle of mRNA-4157/V940 is to stimulate an immune response by generating a T-cell response based on the mutation profile of the patient's tumor.