IONS vs MRK

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. discovers and develops RNA-targeted therapeutics in the United States. The company offers SPINRAZA for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in pediatric and adult patients; TEGSEDI, an injection for the treatment of polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis in adults; and WAYLIVRA, a treatment for familial chylomicronemia syndrome and familial partial lipodystrophy. It is involved in developing neurology products that include Tominersen for Huntington's diseases; Tofersen for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); IONIS-MAPTRx for Alzheimer's diseases; IONIS-C9Rx for genetic form of ALS; ION859 for Parkinson's disease; ION464 for multiple system atrophy and Parkinson's disease; ION541 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; and IONIS-DNM2-2.5Rx for centronuclear myopathy. The company is also developing products for cardiometabolic disease, such as IONIS-TTR-LRx for transthyretin amyloidosis and IONIS-GHR-LRx for acromegaly; IONIS-APOCIII-LRx for familial chylomicronemia syndrome and TG- driven diseases; IONIS-APOCIII-LRx for treatment resistant hypertension; Pelacarsen for Lp(a)cardiovascular disease risk reduction; Vupanorsen for sHTG/CVDRR; IONIS-FXI-LRx for clotting disorders; ION449 for cardiovascular diseases; and IONIS-GCGRRx for diabetics. In addition, it develops IONIS-ENAC-2.5Rx for cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; IONIS-PKK-LRx for hereditary angioedema; Danvatirsen for cancer; IONIS-TMPRSS6-LRx for beta-thalassemia and iron toxicity; IONIS-HBVRx for hepatitis B virus; IONIS-AR-2.5Rx for prostate cancer; IONIS-FB-LRx for age-related macular degeneration and IgA nephropathy; and ION357 for retinitis pigmentosa. It has a collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca; GlaxoSmithKline plc; Janssen Biotech, Inc.; Bayer AG; Novartis AG; Pfizer, Inc.; Biogen Inc.; and Roche. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is based in Carlsbad, 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.