Jordan Johnson, Founding Partner at Bridge Oncology, shared on LinkedIn:
“A personalized cancer vaccine just passed its first phase 3 test.
At ESMO 2026 in Madrid, Merck and Moderna presented INTerpath-001: 1,137 patients with resected stage IIB–IV melanoma, randomized to Keytruda plus an individualized mRNA vaccine (intismeran autogene) or Keytruda alone.
The headline numbers:
- 42% lower risk of recurrence or death (HR 0.58)
- 2-year recurrence-free survival: 82.2% vs 70.0%
38% lower risk of distant metastasis or death - Grade 3–5 treatment-related adverse events were similar between arms (14.2% vs 13.4%)
What I found most interesting is the timing.
For the first six months, while patients were still being immunized, the two arms looked the same. After that, the hazard ratio dropped to 0.42.
That fits how a vaccine should work: it takes time to build a T-cell response.
The caveats:
- Overall survival data aren’t mature yet
- The results leaked early, and the first market reaction was lukewarm because 0.58 sat at the low end of analyst hopes
- BMS’s Opdivo plus Yervoy set a high bar in NADINA, though the trials can’t be compared directly
These are sponsor-reported figures.
The NEJM paper is accepted but I haven’t read it yet.
Each vaccine is built from the patient’s own tumor mutations, so the result matters beyond melanoma.
Nine intismeran trials are underway, including three phase 3s in lung cancer.”
You can also read: INTerpath-001 Trial: Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine in High-Risk Melanoma
