Merck Animal Health Receives Marketing Authorization from European Commission for NOBILIS® IB Primo QX for Chickens

First Vaccine to Use SPHEREON®Technology Now Available

SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY, September 15, 2014 – Merck Animal Health (known as MSD Animal Health outside the USA and Canada) today announced that, following a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use (CVMP), the European Commission has granted the marketing authorization for the veterinary medicinal product NOBILIS® IB Primo QX to protect chickens against viral infectious bronchitis caused by QX-like variants of infectious bronchitis virus.

NOBILIS IB Primo QX will be the first vaccine developed using SPHEREON® technology in the EU, which freeze-dries live vaccines to small, highly soluble particles (spheres) that allow for packaging in light-weight aluminum cups in convenient dose sizes. The spheres produced by SPHEREON technology dissolve easily and quickly for improved preparation and administration of the vaccine.

“We are pleased that the European Commission has approved NOBILIS IB Primo QX,” said Ian Tarpey, Executive Director, Global Poultry R&D, Merck Animal Health. “The QX strain of infectious bronchitis virus has become increasingly common, and NOBILIS IB Primo QX will be an important tool for producers due to its proven efficacy and its easy administration method.”

NOBILIS IB Primo QX is given to chickens from one day of age or older by spraying onto the chickens or by applying by eye-drop, and provides protection for eight weeks. The vaccine can be mixed with NOBILIS IB Ma5 to provide additional protection against Massachusetts strains of the infectious bronchitis virus.

For more information about NOBILIS IB Primo QX for chickens, visit our website or contact your Merck Animal Health sales representative.

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 or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @MerckAH.

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. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline products that the products will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. 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 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).