AEZS vs MRK

Aeterna Zentaris Inc.

Aeterna Zentaris Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, engages in developing and commercializing therapeutics and diagnostic tests. Its lead product is macimorelin, a peptidomimetic ghrelin receptor (GHSR-1a) agonist that stimulates the secretion of growth hormone by binding to the GHSR-1a for the diagnosis of adult growth hormone deficiency and childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency, as well as oncology indications. The company markets macimorelin under the Macrilen name. Aeterna Zentaris Inc. has a license agreement with Julius-Maximilians-University Wuerzburg for the development of an oral prophylactic bacterial vaccine against COVID-19 disease; development, manufacture, and commercialization of targeted immunosuppressive therapeutic proteins for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. It also has a license agreement with Consilient Health Ltd. and Novo Nordisk Biopharm Limited for the development and commercialization of macimorelin in the United States and Canada, as well as The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom for the research, development, manufacture, and commercialization of parathyroid hormone fusion polypeptides for the treatment of primary hypoparathyroidism. Aeterna Zentaris Inc. was incorporated in 1990 and is headquartered in Summerville, South Carolina.

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.