A New War on Cancer? NIH's Vaccine Initiative Sparks Biotech Stock Rally

A nationwide initiative to accelerate personalized cancer vaccine development is drawing fresh investor interest in vaccine makers, sending several biotechnology and pharmaceutical stocks higher Friday.Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX), BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) and Vaxcyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCVX) traded higher.The rally followed a New York Times report detailing a new public-private partnership involving the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to speed up cancer vaccine research.NIH Cancer Vaccine Initiative Targets December LaunchThe initiative will bring together the NIH, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, advocacy groups and patients.The program is expected to launch in December, according to the New York Times.Initially, researchers will focus on pancreatic, liver and colorectal cancers, along with certain childhood tumors.Unlike traditional vaccines that prevent infections, personalized cancer vaccines aim to help the immune system identify and attack existing cancer cells.Many experimental treatments use messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology to target abnormal proteins unique to a patient’s tumor.Stacey Adam, a senior clinical officer at the NIH foundation, said the initiative aims to replicate the collaboration that accelerated COVID-19 vaccine development.Moderna, BioNTech Could Benefit From Cancer Vaccine PushThe initiative could strengthen research efforts in a field where Moderna and BioNTech already have significant clinical programs.In August, Moderna and Merck reported positive Phase 3 results for their personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, combined with Keytruda.Meanwhile, BioNTech is advancing several clinical-stage cancer therapies, including BNT113 for HPV-positive tumors, BNT116 for lung cancer and autogene cevumeran (BNT122), developed with Genentech.Price Action: Vaxcyte shares were up 8.41% at $65.05, Merck shares were up 2.65% at $146.15, Novavax shares were up 16.89% at $12.87, Moderna shares were up 12.15% at $220.94, Pfizer shares were up 1.31% at $28.18 and BioNTech shares were up 5.16% at $92.44 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data.Image via Shutterstock Read Also: Shell, Chevron, BP Pull Crews as Hurricane Isaias Barrels Toward Gulf Coast Refineries