Merck Animal Health Receives Approval From European Authorities for PORCILIS® Lawsonia Vaccine for Piglets

Long-lasting Protection Against Clinical Signs, Loss of Daily Weight Gain, and Mortality Caused by Lawsonia Intracellularis With a Duration of immunity for 21 Weeks.

MADISON, N.J., August 12, 2019 – Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, today announced that the European authorities have recommended the granting of a marketing authorization for the veterinary medicinal product PORCILIS® Lawsonia, an intramuscular vaccine against Lawsonia intracellularis for piglets.

PORCILIS® Lawsonia will be indicated for the active immunization of pigs from 3 weeks of age to reduce: diarrhoea, loss of daily weight gain, intestinal lesions, bacterial shedding and mortality caused by Lawsonia intracellularis infection. PORCILIS® Lawsonia will also be approved for mixing with PORCILIS® PCV M Hyo, providing the opportunity for protection against three major diseases affecting pigs in a single intramuscular vaccination: Lawsonia intracellularis, porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo).

Lawsonia intracellularis is a bacterium that causes ileitis, a gastrointestinal disease also known as porcine proliferative enteropathy. As one of the most common gastrointestinal problems in global swine production, ileitis affects pigs’ growth and development, resulting in a sizeable negative economic impact. The disease is present on 80% to 100% of European farms.i

Following the positive outcome of the decentralized procedure, European Union countries are currently finalizing their national registrations. Detailed product conditions are described in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) and will be translated in all European Union languages for publishing by individual regulatory authorities.

About Merck Animal Health

For more than a century, Merck, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, 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 ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of digitally connected identification, traceability and monitoring products. Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who care for them. 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 LinkedInFacebook, and Twitter at @MerckAH.
i“Ileitis in nursery and fattening pigs – an underestimated disease” International Pig Topics, Dec 2018