CAPR vs MRK

Capricor Therapeutics Inc.

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, focuses on the development of transformative cell- and exosome-based therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of a broad spectrum of diseases. The company's lead candidate, CAP-1002, an allogeneic cardiac-derived cell therapy, which has completed phase II clinical trial for the treatment of patients with late-stage Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); CAP-1002, which is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of cytokine storm associated with COVID-19; and completed various trials investigating the use of CAP-1002 for the treatment of cardiac conditions, including heart failure and post myocardial infarction with cardiac dysfunction. It is also developing CAP-2003 that is in pre-clinical development for the treatment of trauma related injuries and conditions; and two vaccine candidates, which are in preclinical stage for the potential prevention of COVID-19. Capricor collaborates with Lonza Houston, Inc. for the development of CAP-1002, its cell therapy candidate for the treatment of DMD and other indications. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, 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.