MSD Animal Health Launches First Live Poultry Vaccine Providing Simultaneous Protection Against Untreatable Diseases at WVPA Congress

Madison, NJ, USA, September 3, 2017 – MSD Animal Health (known as Merck Animal Health within the United States and Canada) today announced at this year’s World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA) Congress, the launch of INNOVAX®-ND-IBD, the first live vaccine made with biotechnology that protects against three highly infectious diseases in poultry – Newcastle Disease (ND), Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) and Marek’s disease (MD). When given to chickens either in ovo or subcutaneously in the hatchery, it provides life-long protection for ND, IBD and MD simultaneously.

There are currently no treatment options available in Europe to combat these highly contagious infections which affect a range of systems, including the nervous, respiratory, immune and reproductive systems of many species of domestic and wild birds.^1,2,3 If an outbreak hits a flock, the impact on the birds’ welfare and productivity is significant.

“If left uncontrolled, these diseases not only affect the health of the birds but can also wipe out entire flocks, resulting in a huge economic loss for poultry producers,” says Dr. Taylor Barbosa, DVM, PhD, ACPV, Head of Poultry, MSD Animal Health. “Prevention is the best method of protecting poultry from these devastating diseases. INNOVAX-ND-IBD makes it easier for producers to protect their flocks with a single vaccine, which does not interfere with other live respiratory vaccines, giving vaccinated chickens a full range of protection and producers more flexibility when designing the vaccination program.”

By protecting against multiple diseases with a single injection, INNOVAX-ND-IBD also improves poultry welfare by reducing the stress associated with multiple needle sticks and speeds the vaccination process for the producer.
  
INNOVAX-ND-IBD®

INNOVAX-ND-IBD is a multivalent live vaccine that uses the “dual-construct technology” in a live herpes virus of turkey (HVT), a persistent virus containing one ND gene and one IBD gene inserted into the genome, to provide life-long immunity. INNOVAX-ND-IBD does not contain live ND or IBD viruses and cannot induce virus spread, revert to virulence or interfere with other live respiratory vaccines. In addition, there are no post-vaccinal reactions because HVT is safe and nonpathogenic to chickens. Importantly, maternal antibodies do not interfere with INNOVAX-ND-IBD. It was introduced in Peru in June of this year.

Together with the Protectotype (Nobilis Ma5 and Nobilis 4/91) and the live ND products (Clone 30 and ND C2), the INNOVAX family provides the most complete selection of vaccines to be applied in the hatchery.

About MSD Animal Health

For more than a century, MSD, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. MSD Animal Health, known as Merck Animal Health in the United States and Canada, is the global animal health business unit of MSD.Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier Animals™, MSD Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services. MSD 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. MSD Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.msd-animal-health.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’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; the company’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 the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

The company 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 the company’s 2016 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).

¹ Newcastle disease in poultry. Merck Veterinary Manual. Retrieved from http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/newcastle-disease-and-other-paramyxovirus-infections/newcastle-disease-in-poultry

² Overview of infectious bursal disease in poultry. Merck Veterinary Manual. Retrieved from https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-bursal-disease/overview-of-infectious-bursal-disease-in-poultry

³ Marek’s disease. The Poultry Site. Retrieved from http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/90/mareks-disease/