Merck Animal Health Opens State-Of-The-Art Manufacturing Facility in Boxmeer, the Netherlands, for Companion Animal vaccines

Dutch Minister Micky Adriaansens attends official facility opening

Facility capacity to meet increased global customer demand for our innovative vaccines

BOXMEER, the Netherlands, Jan. 23, 2023 – Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), announced today the opening of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Boxmeer, the Netherlands, for sterile filling and freeze drying of Companion Animal vaccines. Boxmeer is one of the company’s centers for the development and production of veterinary vaccines. The location is part of a manufacturing network in the Netherlands, including existing production and research facilities in Boxmeer and De Bilt that supports the company’s global leadership position in the animal health vaccine market.

The company held a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony in Boxmeer to officially mark this milestone, which was attended by Dutch Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Micky Adriaansens and President of Merck Animal Health Rick DeLuca.

“Innovation contributes to our future economy. This new Merck Animal Health manufacturing facility demonstrates that the Dutch life science and health sector is leading in Europe,” said Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Mickey Adriaansens. “In Boxmeer, products are made that contribute to the protection of both human and animal health.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to build on our advanced technology within the Boxmeer facility and expand our footprint in the Netherlands,” said Rick DeLuca, president, Merck Animal Health. “As a leader in delivering innovative biopharmaceuticals and technology solutions to advance animal health, this investment reflects our commitment to produce a range of innovative animal health medicines, vaccines and technology to meet increased customer demand for our growing portfolio of products and solutions.”   

The new manufacturing facility will include production capacity for sterile filling and freeze drying of vaccines and will provide Merck Animal Health with additional manufacturing resources to meet the growing customer demand.

Vaccines play an important role in protecting animal and public health. Timely and effective vaccination reduces the incidence and severity of disease, enabling efficient production of food animals. Vaccines also have had a significant impact on the health of pets, preventing serious illnesses and helping them live longer and healthier lives.

We continually seek new ways to improve and enhance our manufacturing and production capacity and capabilities at our facilities around the world to meet the growing needs of our animal health customers, including our Boxmeer facility,” said Matt Shields, senior vice president, Animal Health Manufacturing, Merck Animal Health. “Our investments in manufacturing, which have included a large-scale production facility in Krems, Austria, and a vaccine production facility in Salamanca, Spain, demonstrate our commitment to help farmers, producers and veterinarians advance the health of animals and support a safe food supply.

Merck Animal Health also continues to invest in expanding existing manufacturing facilities on the Boxmeer site, which employs 2,000 employees, mainly in research and development and manufacturing roles.

About Merck Animal Health

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than a century, we’ve been at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business 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 connected technology that includes 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 and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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

This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, 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 the global outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19); 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 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).