BCYC vs MRK

Bicycle Therapeutics plc

Bicycle Therapeutics plc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops a class of medicines for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics. Its lead product candidate is BT1718, a bicycle toxin conjugate (BTC), which is in Phase I/IIa clinical trials targeting tumors that express Membrane Type 1 matrix metalloprotease. The company's oncology product candidates also comprise BT5528, a BTC that is in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial targeting EphA2; BT8009, which is in preclinical studies targeting Nectin-4; and CD137, an immune cell co-stimulatory molecule that is in preclinical stage. In addition, it is developing THR-149, a plasma kallikrein inhibitor that completed Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of diabetic macular edema. Further, the company collaborates with biopharmaceutical companies and organizations to develop programs in therapeutic areas, such as anti-infective, cardiovascular, ophthalmology, and respiratory indications. It has a clinical trial and license agreement with the Cancer Research Technology Limited and CRUK; research collaboration agreements with AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Oxurion, and the Dementia Discovery Fund; and discovery collaboration and license agreement with Genentech for the discovery and development of Bicycle peptides for multiple immuno-oncology targets. Bicycle Therapeutics plc was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.

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.