Oppenheimer analyst Hartaj Singh cites Moderna’s share move to a notice on the U.S. clinical trials register that the company, along with Merck MRK.N, will begin testing their vaccine combination for the treatment of a form of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC)
CSCC is the second-most common form of skin cancer in the U.S.
Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda along with Moderna’s MRNA-based vaccine are also being evaluated for the treatment of melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer
Analysts at Jefferies say this being the third late-stage study for the vaccine combination speaks to continued confidence in a broad program