IGMS vs MRK

IGM Biosciences Inc.

IGM Biosciences, Inc., a biotechnology company, develops Immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies for the treatment of multiple diseases. Its lead product candidate is IGM-2323, a bispecific IgM antibody that is in Phase 1 clinical trials to treat patients with relapsed/refractory B cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The company is also developing IGM-8444, an IgM antibody, which is in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with solid cancers and NHL; and IGM-7354, is a bispecific IgM antibody delivering interleukin-15 cytokines to PD-L1 expressing cells for use in the treatment of patients with solid and hematologic malignancies. It has a strategic research and license agreement with AbCellera to discover and develop IgM antibodies; and license agreement with AvantGen Inc. for various antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The company was formerly known as Palingen, Inc. and changed its name to IGM Biosciences, Inc. in 2010. IGM Biosciences, Inc. was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

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.