CALA vs MRK

Calithera Biosciences Inc.

Calithera Biosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage bio-pharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery and development of small molecule drugs directed against tumor metabolism and tumor immunology targets for the treatment of cancer in the United States. Its lead product candidate is CB-839, an inhibitor of glutaminase, which is in Phase II clinical trial to treat solid tumors. The company also offers INCB001158, an oral inhibitor of arginase that is in Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of hematology and oncology. The company is also developing CB-280, an oral arginase inhibitor that is in Phase 1b clinical trial for the treatment of cystic fibrosis and chronic airway infection; and CB-708, an orally administered small molecule inhibitor of CD73, as well as CB-668, an inhibitor of the enzyme IL4I1. It has a license agreement with Mars, Inc. to develop and commercialize Symbioscience's portfolio of arginase inhibitors for use in human healthcare. The company also has clinical trial collaboration with Pfizer to evaluate Pfizer's PARP inhibitor talazoparib and CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib, each in combination with telaglenasta. In addition, it has a collaboration and license agreement with Incyte Corporation for the research, development, and commercialization of INCB001158, a small molecule arginase inhibitor for the treatment of hematology and oncology; and a license agreement with Antengene Corporation Ltd. for the development and commercialization of CB-708. Calithera Biosciences, Inc. was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, 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.