MSD Animal Health Presents More than 40 Abstracts Across Swine Portfolio at the 25th International Pig Veterinary Society Congress

MADISON, NJ, June 13, 2018 – MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, today announced the presentation of more than 40 abstracts at the 25th International Pig Veterinary Society (IPVS) congress, highlighting new research across the company’s broad range of swine vaccines and services. Six abstracts were selected for oral presentation, which explore a new tool to evaluate biosecurity, performance of E. coli vaccines in the field, patterns of parainfluenza virus on a U.S. farm, slaughterchecks to evaluate M. hyopneumoniae status in China and a comparative PRRS vaccine study. IPVS 2018 was held in Chongqing, China from June 11-14, 2018.

“As a research-driven company, our top priority is to provide the swine community with research and innovative solutions to help improve the health, well-being and performance of their herds. The breadth of data presented at IPVS 2018 across our diverse swine portfolio and non-product related subjects further serves to reinforce this committment,” said Rika Jolie, DVM, Ph.D., MBA, Global Marketing Director, Swine at MSD Animal Health.

MSD Animal Health invites attendees to discover The IDAL®  Way at the company’s interactive booth, where they can learn about the latest needle-free vaccination and intradermal vaccines and how to use the new IDAL®  3G device, as well as an MSD Animal Health swine portfolio exhibit.

Select abstracts of interest include:

Oral Abstract #VIII-5-058: Protective efficacy of commercial PRRS MLV against dual challenge with Type 1 and highly pathogenic PRRS isolates in experimental pigs (Presenter: A. Madapong)
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) can have a devasting impact on pig production, and the single-strand RNA structure of the PRRS virus has made it a challenge to address. This study evaluated the protective efficacy of PRRS MLV vaccines against Type 1 and highly pathogenic PRRS isolates to determine which vaccines should be used. All PRRS MLV vaccines studied reduced viremia, lung lesions and PRRSV-antigens in lung tissues after challenge with PRRSV isolates. Authors found that regardlelss of vaccine genotype, vaccination provided partial cross-protection and can be used.

Oral Abstract #II-058: Assessment of antibody response and efficacy of vaccines against neonatal diarrhea by E. coli (Presenter: H. Lin)
Neonatal E. coli enteritis can result in both mortality and curative treatments. In this study, gilts were randomly vaccinated with either Porcilis® ColiClos, vaccine N (+F41 ag) and vaccine E (+F18 ag) to compare antigen seroconversion. While all vaccines induced increased antibody titers against the measured antigens, Porcilis® ColiClos induced significantly higher F6 (987P) and F5 (K99) titers than vaccines N and E (P<0.05), and numerically higher titers for the other antigens with the exception of F4ac (K88ac) (for vaccine E). Porcilis® ColiClos-vaccinated gilts also had better general health, appetite and faecal consistency scores and a lower litter treatment percentage.

Oral Abstract #II-057: Comparative study to evaluate immunity induced by E. coli-Clostridium vaccines (Presenter: H. Lin)
Colostrum immunoglobins are a source of protection against microbial infections and confer passive immunity to the piglets until they have a mature immune system. This study found that Porcilis® ColiClos induced higher titers against every E. coli antigen compared to a competitor vaccine with the same indication in sow vaccinated prior to farrowing. Feed intake was also not impacted and no other post-vaccination adverse reactions were observed following vaccination.

Oral Abstract #VIII-6-004: B-eSecure: electronic system to measure and improve biosecurity on pig farms (Presenter: M. Collell)
This collaborative pilot project with PigChamp EU implemented the use of B-eSecure, an electronic system to track movements of people in farms and visualize the effects of biosecurity improvement on health and production results, in two Dutch farms. Biosecurity procedures impact diseases such as PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome), but applying and following biosecurity rules is often difficult. However, the study found that linking the program with motivating PRRSv (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus) prevalence data and production results helps to reach and maintain a high level of biosecurity.

Oral Abstract #II-009: Current status of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection in Chinese swine herds as determinded by lung scoring at slaughter (Presenter: Di Gao)
The purpose of this study was to evalutate the prevalence Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) and the severity of lung lesions in Chinese pig farms by performing MADEC scoring at slaughter. While the study found that prevalence was very high in Chinese pig herds, lung lesion severity differed based on the region. Most farms vaccinated to prevent H. hyo, which significantly reduced lung lesion scores at slaughter. Further, two dose vaccines performed better than one dose vaccines or antibiotics.

Oral Abstract #I-084: Dynamics of porcine parainfluenza virus shedding in sows and their piglets (Presenter: B. Thacker)
Porcine parainfluenza virus (PPIV) is becoming more prevalent on commericial farms and is a suspected contributor to the procine respiratory disease complex, but there is minimal data available regarding clinical signs, shedding, etc. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the shedding patterns of PPIV1 in sows and suckling and weaned pigs. In the study, no sows tested positive for PPIV1. The ideal PPIV1 sampling time was 3-5 weeks of age for pigs and pigs with lower CT scores had higher rectal temperatures, suggesting that increase viral loads had higher risk of fever. In addition, nasal swabs achieved lower PCR CTs compared to oropharyngeal swabs.
For more information about IPVS 2018, visit www.ipvs2018.net.

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, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, 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 and Twitter.

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. 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; 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 2017 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). 

Please see Prescribing Information for PORCILIS® at [http://www.porcilis-prrs.com/]
and  IDAL® at [http://pcv2-mhyo.azurewebsites.net/Products/IDAL/IDALIntradermanNeedlefreeVaccination]