ABUS vs MRK

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of a cure for patients suffering from chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the United States. Its HBV product pipeline consists of AB-729, a proprietary subcutaneously-delivered RNA interference product candidate, which in an ongoing Phase Ia/Ib clinical trial targeted to hepatocytes that inhibits viral replication and reduces various HBV antigens using novel covalently conjugated GalNAc delivery technology; and AB-836, an oral capsid inhibitor that suppresses HBV DNA replication. The company's research and development programs include HBV RNA destabilizers, an orally active agent to destabilize HBV RNA, which leads to RNA degradation and to reduction in HBV proteins; oral PD-L1 inhibitor to enable reawakening patients' HBV-specific immune response; and small molecule antiviral medicines to treat coronaviruses, including COVID-19. It has strategic alliance, licensing, and research collaboration agreements with Marqibo; Gritstone Oncology, Inc.; Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc.; and Antios Therapeutics, Inc. Arbutus Biopharma Corporation also has a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Vaccitech plc to evaluate a therapeutic combination for the treatment of subjects with chronic HBV infection. The company was formerly known as Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation and changed its name to Arbutus Biopharma Corporation in July 2015. Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is headquartered in Warminster, Pennsylvania.

Merck & Company Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health segments. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, diabetes, and women's health, as well as vaccine products. The Animal Health segment provides discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions and services, as well as a suite of digitally connected identification, traceability, and monitoring products. The company has collaborations with AstraZeneca PLC; Bayer AG; Eisai Co., Ltd.; and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. It serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, and government agencies; managed health care providers, such as health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, and other institutions; and physicians and physician distributors, veterinarians, and animal producers. The company has collaboration agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to co-develop and co-commercialize long-acting investigational treatment combinations of Lenacapavir and Islatravir in HIV; Amathus Therapeutics to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases; and Linnaeus Therapeutics, Inc. to evaluate LNS8801 in combination with KEYTRUDA for patients with advanced cancer. It also has a collaboration with Biomed X Gmbh for building on ongoing research projects in the fields of oncology (DNA damage response and RNA splicing) and autoimmunity (intestinal epithelial barrier in autoimmune diseases); and a collaboration agreement with NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. to focus primarily on the development of novel medicines for unmet patient needs in retinal and CVM diseases, including heart failure. Merck & Co., Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey.