NVS vs XCUR

Novartis AG

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Innovative Medicines and Sandoz. The Innovative Medicines segment offers prescription medicines for patients and healthcare providers. It also provides ophthalmology, neuroscience, immunology, hepatology and dermatology, respiratory, established, and cardiovascular, renal and metabolism medicine products. The Sandoz segment provides active ingredients and finished dosage forms of small molecule pharmaceuticals to third parties across a range of therapeutic areas, as well as finished dosage form anti-infectives. It also provides active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates primarily antibiotics; protein- or other biotechnology-based products, including biosimilars; and biotechnology manufacturing services. Novartis AG has a license and collaboration agreement with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals to develop, manufacture, and commercialize inclisiran; an agreement with CureVac to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV; a collaboration with Artios Pharma Limited to create next generation DDR cancer therapies; and a clinical collaboration with Kura Oncology, Inc. to evaluate the combination of Tipifarnib and Alpelisib in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.

Exicure Inc.

Exicure, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops therapeutics for neurology, immuno-oncology, inflammatory diseases, and genetic disorders based on its proprietary spherical nucleic acid (SNA) technology. Its drug candidate includes cavrotolimod (AST-008) that is in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors. The company is also developing XCUR-FXN, an SNA–based therapeutic candidate that is in preclinical trials for the treatment of Friedreich's ataxia; XCUR17, an SNA that targets the messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding interleukin 17 receptor alpha; and AST-005, an SNA targeting TNF for the treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis. It has a collaboration, option, and license agreement with Allergan Pharmaceuticals International Limited to develop SNA-based treatments for hair loss disorders; license and development agreement with DERMELIX, LLC to research, develop, and commercialize its technology for the treatment of netherton syndrome; and collaboration agreement with Ipsen S.A. to research, develop, and commercialize novel spherical nucleic acids for Huntington's disease and Angelman syndrome. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.