Moderna-Merck Skin Cancer Treatment Shows Long-Term Benefits

A personalized cancer treatment developed by Moderna Inc. and Merck & Co. helped prevent the recurrence of high-risk skin cancer after five years, new data confirming its prolonged benefit show.

Patients with severe melanoma who got the injection — along with Merck’s cancer drug Keytruda — were 49% less likely to die or have their cancer return than those who received only Keytruda, the companies said Tuesday.

While the five-year data is similar to three-year datapreviously disclosed by the companies, it stands to be a cancer treatment milestone due to the risk of late-stage melanoma returning after surgery. Showing ...