2024 Marks a New Era Of Pharmaceutical Innovation

With Covid-19 finally fading into history, the Covid-19 heroes, namely Moderna Inc MRNA and Pfizer Inc PFE were forced to redefine their business focus last year, and so, they turned to fighting cancer, the one battle that pharma never seems to win. Moderna ended 2023 by delivering good news regarding its cancer vaccine and Pfizer received approval to buy the cancer drug maker Seagan and execute its plan of creating a new oncology division that will battle cancer at the speed of science. But, the oncology front got strengthened by a smallermolecular genetics diagnostic company specializing in the early detection of cancer, Mainz Biomed N.V. MYNZ and its flagship product ColoAlert®, an accurate, non-invasive and easy-to-use, early-detection diagnostic test for colorectal cancer (CRC).

Mainz Biomed made significant progress in the battle against CRC last year, promising to bring to the market the most advanced at-home diagnostic screening tool.

Mainz Biomed made significant progress in the battle against CRC last year, promising to bring to the market the most advanced at-home diagnostic screening tool.

Mainz Biomed just issued a report that summarizes its key product and commercial development in 2023. Its CRC screening test that is based on real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction-based (PCR) multiplex detection of molecular-genetic biomarkers in stool samples is already marketed across Europe with the company continuing to expand its international commercialization. During 2023, Mainz Biomed reported groundbreaking results both from its European ColoFuture and U.S. eAArly DETECT studies. ColoFuture reported sensitivity for colorectal cancer of 94% with specificity of 97% and sensitivity of 80% for advanced adenoma (AA), a type of pre-cancerous polyp often attributed to this deadly disease. eAArly DETECT reported sensitivity for CRC of 97% with a specificity of 97% and a sensitivity for advanced adenoma of 82%. Therefore, both studies delivered results that exceeded those of existing market alternatives. Moreover, Mainz Biomed has been ramping up preparations for its pivotal FDA PMA clinical trial (ReconAAsense) which remains on track to commence patient enrollment by mid-2024. If successful, Mainz Biomed would gain a gold-standard status for at-home CRC screening with the potential to prevent CRC through early detection of precancerous adenomas. Throughout the year, Mainz Biomed made numerous strategic partnerships across Germany, Israel, Romania, Poland, the UK and Spain to equip itself with the highest quality scientific and technology experts to enhance and expand its flagship product, along with developing PancAlert, its Company’s early-stage screening test for pancreatic cancer. 

Moderna’s next innovation is focused on cancer.

The combination of Moderna’s cancer vaccine and Merck’s blockbuster cancer drug, helped lower the risk of late-stage skin cancer from returning after three years by as much as 49%.The good news from the combined treatment of Moderna’s mRNA cancer vaccine and Merck & Co MRK Keytruda drug is encouraging with the two announcing their plans to test their winning combination on other types of cancers, including lung cancer. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel believes the skin cancer vaccine could launch as early as 2025. But personalizing a vaccine to a specific patient by tailoring it to the specific genetic makeup of the patient’s tumor and developing a cost-effective vaccine for the masses are two entirely different things. Moreover, the skin cancer study in question involved patients whose tumors were already surgically removed, and therefore, the treatment was merely successful at preventing the tumor from coming back and ending in the worst outcome.

Moderna is keen on bringing the attention towards its next innovation- designing a vaccine that can teach immune cells how to recognize and combat tumors which promises to be the next best thing in a $200 billion a year oncology drug market. But the market will continue to focus on Moderna’s revenue forecast for Covid shots with 2023 sales falling a bit less than expected, at around $6.7 billion, which is slightly above the lower end of its full-year forecast. Moderna also reiterated its goal of returning to sales growth in 2025, with its shares rising 2.3% in response after weak vaccine sales dragged down its shares more than 40% last year.

A new era of pharmaceutical innovation is ahead. 

Pfizer and Moderna have entered the crowded cancer drug market. This is undoubtedly the most competitive growth area for pharma, but one where until now, remains filled with lost battles. But with mRNA technology, scientists are doing something entirely new when it comes to cancer treatment- personalization. This technology empowered Moderna to personalize a cancer vaccine and in case of Mainz Biomed, integrating the portfolio of mRNA biomarkers not only brought groundbreaking results in early detection of colorectal cancer, but also the possibility of preventing CRC altogether by detecting precancerous adenomas. Therefore, 2024 promises to bring the long-anticipated advancement of science in its battle against cancer. 

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