Vaccines: Protection Against Old and New Diseases

Whether it’s an animal grazing in the field or getting a check-up at a veterinarian’s office, preventing old and emerging diseases is a priority for those who work hard to keep animals healthy.

To help producers and veterinarians work more efficiently and effectively, we are always working to provide innovative and much-needed vaccines to customers. Vaccines help treat and control diseases for both companion animals and food production animals.

Addressing Urgent, Unmet Needs
Dog owners and veterinarians faced a serious crisis in 2015 when a new strain of canine influenza broke out across 26 American states. Our labs worked quickly with a leading university to identify the new strain, H3N2, and developed a vaccine to protect against it.

In 2011 when the Schmallenberg virus (SBV) emerged in Europe across eight countries, causing stillbirth and deformity in livestock fetuses, we rapidly developed and introduced the first vaccine against SBV in sheep and cattle.

Creating More Efficient Vaccines
Vaccination can be time-consuming for the farmhand and disruptive for animals. We are always looking for ways to improve the vaccination process across animal species.

Recently, we introduced a ready-to-use single shot vaccine in Europe that protects piglets against porcine circovirus type 2 and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. We also introduced the first injectable vaccine that offers a 20-week duration of immunity for control of ileitis caused by Lawsonia intracellularis in swine.

SPHEREON is a novel vaccine formulation technology for the storage and preparation of live poultry vaccines. SPHEREON technology freeze-dries live vaccines to small, highly soluble particles (spheres) that dissolve quickly and completely in water, with no residue. SPHEREON allows for improved preparation and administration of the vaccine, as well as packaging in light-weight, 100 percent recyclable aluminum cups.

We have developed a more efficient, single-injection vaccine that helps fish farmers save time and increase productivity while protecting against diseases like pancreas disease and winter ulcer disease, two of the costliest diseases facing the industry.

Working to Stop Epidemics
Devastating viruses and diseases threaten animal species around the world. To advance our commitment to the prevention and control of disease, Merck Animal Health acquired Harrisvaccines. This acquisition will allow us to expand our portfolio by combining our capabilities and global reach with Harrisvaccines’ important portfolio of vaccines, including the first conditionally licensed vaccine to help control Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV), which has killed more than eight million piglets in the U.S.

To ensure customers across the globe have access to our vaccines, we maintain manufacturing and research sites in all regions of the world. As disease landscapes change, our global network helps us react quickly and provide local solutions for diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, peste des petits ruminants, bluetongue virus, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. For example, when the rapid spread of the bluetongue virus threatened Europe’s cattle population, we responded immediately and developed a vaccine to fight against the disease.

Serving Producers and Veterinarians
Producers and veterinarians go above and beyond to protect the animals in their care. We stand strong behind them, offering vaccine expertise, novel technology, disease knowledge, and a worldwide network of R&D and manufacturing sites.