New Data about ZILMAX® Being Presented at 2014 ADSA-ASAS-CSAS Joint Annual Meeting

Summit, N.J., July 22, 2014 – Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada, today announced that new studies about ZILMAX® (zilpaterol hydrochloride), an FDA-approved feed supplement for cattle, will be presented at the Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science, American Dairy Science Association and Canadian Society of Animal Science, July 20 – 24, 2014, in Kansas City, Missouri. The studies were conducted by third-party investigators.

“Maintaining a healthy herd is vital to the food supply, and Merck Animal Health is committed to working with nutritionists, veterinarians, farmers and producers to ensure the safety and well-being of their animals,” said John Hutcheson, Ph.D., Merck Animal Health director of technical services. “This meeting provides the ideal forum to present new data on ZILMAX to a broad array of industry professionals.”

Abstracts selected for presentation are noted below by identification number and are available at https://www.asas.org/meetings/jam2014/abstracts.

Oral Presentations

  • Effects of ractopamine or zilpaterol on physiologic and metabolic parameters in feedlot steers (46)
  • A meta-analysis of zilpaterol and ractopamine effects on feedlot (146)
  • Evaluation of objective and subjective mobility variables in feedlot cattle supplemented with zilpaterol hydrochloride (147)
  • Comparison of real-time ultrasound measurements for body composition traits to carcass data in feedlot cattle fed zilpaterol hydrochloride (148)
  • The effect of zilpaterol supplementation and RFI on growth performance (149)
  • Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride on internal body temperature and respiration rate of black-hided feedlot steers and heifers during moderate heat stress (150)
  • Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride on blood gas, electrolyte balance and pH in feedlot cattle (151)
  • Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride and implants in beef heifers I: feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, and intramyocellular lipid accumulation (422)
  • Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride and implants in beef heifers II: aging effects on Warner-Bratzler shear force, collagen solubility, and fiber cross-sectional area (423)
  • Effect of zilpaterol hydrochloride on carcass composition, subprimal yield, and meat quality of Nellore heifers (424)
  • Interaction of various inclusion levels of dietary vitamin D2 enriched yeast cell wall with zilpaterol hydrochloride on dry matter intake and post mortem tenderness in feedlot steers (426)
  • Zinc methionine alters muscle and adipose gene expression and protein concentration of calf-fed Holstein steers fed zilpaterol hydrochloride (427)
  • Effect of ractopamine hydrochloride and zilpaterol hydrochloride on the electrocardiogram and blood lactate in finishing steers (499)
  • Zilpaterol hydrochloride repartitions chemical components of the empty body of Holstein steers (559)
  • Effects of technology use in feedlot production systems on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics (566)
  • The effects of technology use in feedlot production systems on the health status of finishing steers (567)
  • The effects of technology use in feedlot production systems on cattle behavior and mobility (569)
  • Effects of feeding zilpaterol hydrochloride on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of Nellore bulls and steers (594)
  • Effects of supplemental zinc, copper, and manganese concentration and source on performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot steers (683)
  • Decreasing dietary calcium to potentiate changes in beef tenderness with zilpaterol hydrochloride supplementation (684)
  • Effects of including viginiamycin in feedlot diets containing monensin under commercial conditions in Mexico (649)

Poster Presentations

  • Objective movement of calf-fed Holstein steers fed in confinement (815)
  • Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride feeding time on Nellore bulls performance and carcass characteristics (909)
  • Influence of calcium depletion and repletion on beef tenderness of steers fed zilpaterol hydrochloride (910)
  • Effect of beta agonist and immunocastration on meat characteristics Nellore cattle (1274)
  • The use of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to predict carcass composition in calf-fed Holstein steers (1275)
  • Zilpaterol hydrochloride improves growth performance of meat producer Japanese quails (1344)
  • The effects of technology use in feedlot production systems on the heat stress and blood metabolites of finishing steers (1500)
  • The effects of technology use in feedlot production systems on feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, and feeding behaviors of crossbred beef steers (1501)
  • Influence of Macleaya cordata preparation on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of finishing bulls (1569)
  • Individual and additive value of conventional and non-conventional technologies in beef heifers housed and fed using a GrowSafe® feeding system (1575)
  • Effects of zilpaterol hydrochloride on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of hair-breed ram lambs (1645)
  • Performance and carcass attributes of Nellore heifers fed with zilpaterol hydrochloride (1667)
  • Performance and carcass traits of immunocastrated Nellore cattle fed to β-agonists (1802)
  • Zilpaterol hydrochloride modify the fatty acids profile of intramuscular fat of feedlot lambs (1929)
  • Effect of crude protein level and zilpaterol supplementation on growth performance and carcass dressing of finishing hairy lambs (1933)

ZILMAX has a withdrawal period 3 days prior to harvest. Not for use in animals intended for breeding. Do not allow horses or other equines access to feed containing zilpaterol. Do not use in veal calves. For complete safety information, refer to product label and ZILMAX website.

About Merck Animal Health
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.Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier Animals™, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of 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. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com.

Merck Forward-Looking Statement
This news release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Merck’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; Merck’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of Merck’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

Merck undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Merck’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).