Company Profile
Today’s Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada, is the global animal health business unit of Merck. Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments the widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services. Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain.
Merck Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. It operates a network of 28 manufacturing sites and 16 R&D facilities around the world and holds market-leading positions in global animal health product sales, in the geographical areas Europe, Latin America and Far East, in various species categories (cattle, sheep, swine, poultry and aquatic animals) and in veterinary vaccines.
Sales in 2010 were more than US $ 2.9 billion and the revenue distribution by species was: ruminants 41%, companion animals 23%, poultry 18%, swine 16%, and aquatic animals/other 2%. Moreover, revenues were distributed over the various geographical areas as follows: Europe 45%, North America 24%, Latin America 15% and Asia-Pacific/ROW 16%.
THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR MERCK ANIMAL HEALTH
The unprecedented interdependency between human and animal health today has created a new dynamic, requiring a collaborative approach to solving human and animal health issues. With the rich resources of Merck, Merck Animal Health possesses all the ingredients required – including the scientific and business assets - to create an outstanding company in the industry. Three issues in particular will drive innovation and growth strategy going forward:
Rising demand for meat, milk and eggs
World demand for animal protein is forecasted to rise by 50 percent over the next ten years. At the same time, the available land for farming purposes is expected to remain the same or even decrease in certain areas.
Merck Animal Health’s portfolio already plays a major role in enabling producers to keep their livestock in good condition and improve feed efficiency so they can reach target weights and milk or egg yields efficiently and in good health. It has been estimated that animal diseases cause the loss of 20 percent of animal protein and that there is still much work to be done in order to achieve a significant reduction in current animal production losses, notably by developing new vaccines, medicines and diagnostic tests.
The world is embracing pet ownership.
Pet ownership is growing as the world experiences a strengthening of the pet/owner bond. Meanwhile there is a greater proportion of older pets – close to 50 percent of cats and dogs in the US are over 6 years old compared with just 40 percent in the mid-1990s. Just like their owners, elderly cats and dogs face chronic diseases such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, tooth disease and heart disease. Pets will benefit from Merck Animal Health vaccines to keep sickness at bay and from our pharmaceuticals to return them to health. Aging pets and their specific conditions are one of the major concerns for our researchers in bringing new products to market, fast.
Threat from zoonoses
More than 60 percent of the newly identified infectious agents that have affected people over the past three decades have been caused by pathogens originating from animals or animal products. Some are carried by livestock, while others, such as rabies, have a major reservoir in wildlife. Food-borne zoonoses, such as salmonellosis, also continue to impact human health. According to the WHO, this group of diseases affects 14 million people around the world annually. Changes in human society, particularly globalization, are predicted to increase the threat from zoonoses. Addressing zoonotic risk requires multisectoral cooperation and strong partnerships with strong linkages between human and animal detection and response systems. Merck Animal Health has one of the broadest ranges of products, procedures and resources to anticipate and respond. To stay innovative and dynamic, it will continue to invest into the R&D of novel products and services in order to continue to respond rapidly to emerging disease threats.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Merck Animal Health has a robust R&D pipeline with over 100 pharmaceutical and over 100 vaccine projects in key therapeutic areas, providing a solid platform for further growth in veterinary medicine. In-house R&D activities are supplemented with an active business development and in-licensing program. The Company seeks to partner with allied businesses, universities, biotech companies and research institutions to develop and market innovative animal health products.
CUSTOMER FOCUS
The strong product portfolio and broad global reach in combination with a strong research engine allows Merck Animal Health to respond quickly to customers’ needs. Customer satisfaction will be the engine that drives the company forward. By listening carefully to its stakeholders Merck Animal Health aims to provide innovative, high-quality products for the major farm and companion animals. The Company aims to meet, at all levels, the highest standards of quality, professionalism and integrity. In doing so, Merck Animal Health seeks to become the partner of choice for veterinarians, farmers and animal owners. Its products and services will enable pets and people to enjoy their time together and will help keep livestock healthy to ensure a safe, wholesome and affordable food supply.
SPECIES CATEGORIES
Ruminants: The world ruminant market consists of cattle (dairy and beef-producing), sheep and goats. Merck Animal Health has developed a broad portfolio of products to protect against the most important pathogens affecting ruminants. It is particularly strong in the bovine respiratory disease arena, where vaccines and treatment packages for effective herd health management are offered.
Companion Animals: The companion animal activities are aimed at preventing and treating diseases, improving the length and quality of life of pets and to help protect owners from contracting transmittable diseases.
Poultry: The poultry industry is predominantly made up of broilers used for meat production, layers for egg production and breeders for these broilers and layers. Merck Animal Health is the largest poultry vaccine manufacturer worldwide. Its portfolio contains products against most major pathogens with a focus on diseases affecting broilers, breeders and layers.
Swine: The Swine business unit provides a wide range of vaccines, covering the most relevant pathogens affecting pigs and varied fertility management products for the breeding sector.
Aquatic Animals: The aquatic animal business unit, as a pioneer in state-of-the-art aquatic animal health products, has consistently been at the forefront of technology in vaccines and disease prevention. It is dedicated to the research of fish and shrimp diseases, and the development, production and marketing of a complete range of effective aquatic animal health products and disease prevention strategies.
MERCK ANIMAL HEALTH PRODUCTS
As well as enjoying outright leadership in vaccines, Merck Animal Health is a pioneer in the development and application of marker vaccines including those against some of the most economically devastating animal diseases such as avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis. Many of its products are first-to-market reflecting our responsiveness to customer need and scientific innovation.
Alongside its vaccine lines, the extensive range of veterinary pharmaceuticals offers customers a variety of solutions, both in the core control of infections and parasites, as well as in increasingly important specialist areas including fertility management, and the treatment of conditions like diabetes mellitus, otitis externa and cardiovascular disease in companion animals.
