NEW YORK — Merck CEO Rob Davis company expects its personalized cancer vaccine, developed with Moderna, to become faster to manufacture over time, potentially allowing more patients to benefit from the treatment.
The vaccine currently takes approximately six weeks to produce, from sequencing a patient’s tumor to delivering the personalized treatment to the hospital. Unlike conventional vaccines, it is designed to target specific mutations in each patient’s cancer, training the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. The treatment is being developed in combination with Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda.
Davis acknowledged the manufacturing process is complex but expressed confidence that efficiencies will improve as the companies expand production. He emphasized that the immediate priority is ensuring adequate supply and preparing the market for the treatment’s potential introduction.
In August, Merck and Moderna reported positive initial results from a late-stage trial involving the vaccine and Keytruda in melanoma patients. The companies are also investigating the approach in non-small cell lung cancer, certain bladder cancers and renal cell carcinoma.
Meanwhile, Merck has opened Advance, a 120,000-square-foot research facility at its West Point, Pennsylvania, campus. The facility features automated robotics and artificial intelligence capabilities designed to streamline biological sample analysis and accelerate research and development.
The investment comes as Merck prepares for Keytruda’s core US compound patent expiration in December 2028, with additional patents extending protection into 2029 and beyond. The company has pursued a strategy involving $65 billion in external acquisitions and licensing agreements over five years to strengthen its future drug pipeline.
Merck is also developing alternative Keytruda formulations and combination treatments to help preserve revenue after patent protections expire. However, its subcutaneous Keytruda formulation faces patent litigation from Halozyme Therapeutics, including a Dutch court injunction affecting eight European countries. Merck plans to appeal, while patients can continue receiving the original intravenous formulation in Europe.
Beyond oncology, the pharmaceutical company is expanding its portfolio with products such as Winrevair, a treatment for a rare, life-threatening lung disease, and Lipfendra, a cholesterol-lowering pill approved by the FDA in July.
Davis said the technology could eventually move cancer treatment closer to the possibility of a cure, while acknowledging that such an outcome has not yet been achieved.
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