APVO vs MRK

Aptevo Therapeutics Inc.

Aptevo Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on developing immunotherapeutic candidates for the treatment of various forms of cancer in the United States. Its lead clinical candidate is APVO436, a bispecific T-cell engaging antibody candidate that is in Phase 1/1b clinical trial for acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. The company's preclinical candidates also include ALG.APV-527, an investigational bispecific ADAPTIR candidate that features a mechanism of action to target 4-1BB (CD137) and 5T4, a tumor antigen expressed in various types of cancers; and APVO603, a dual agonist bispecific antibody to target 4-1BB and OX40. It is also developing APVO442, a bispecific candidate based on the ADAPTIR-FLEX platform technology to enhance biodistribution of drugs to PSMA positive tumors for treatment of prostate cancer; and other pre-clinical development stage therapeutics focused on hematologic and solid tumors. It has a collaboration and option agreement with Alligator Bioscience AB to develop ALG.APV-527. Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. was incorporated in 2016 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

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.