Merck Animal Health Announces CIRCUMVENT® CML Takes Top S&P Global Award as the 2023 Best New Food Animal Product

The award marks the 6th year in a row for recognition in this category

RAHWAY, N.J., Jan. 18, 2024 – Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), today announced CIRCUMVENT® CML has been awarded the Best New Food Animal Product from S&P Global Animal Health. It is the first and only ready-to-use, single-dose intramuscular injectable vaccine against disease caused by Porcine Circovirus Types 2a and 2d, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Lawsonia intracellularis in pigs, three weeks of age or older.

The award marks the sixth straight year for Merck Animal Health to be honored in this category. Past Merck Animal Health products that have been honored include the IDAL® portfolio technology, PORCILIS® Lawsonia intramuscular vaccine for piglets, NOBILIS® SALENVAC ETC, WHISPER® ON ARRIVAL and SENSEHUB® Feedlot. Additionally, Merck Animal Health was named Best Animal Health Company, North America in 2021.

“We are proud to continually be recognized as a leader in the animal health industry that brings together innovative solutions from our combined biopharmaceuticals and technology solutions portfolio to shape the future of animal health,” said Shannon Kellner, vice president, U.S. Livestock Business, Merck Animal Health. “Our people – from research and development to manufacturing to sales – continually strive to help our customers improve the health of their animals and bring efficiencies to their operations. CIRCUMVENT CML is another example of our pioneering science that will help the swine industry do just that.”

With CIRCUMVENT CML, veterinarians and producers have the convenience of vaccinating for three of the most important swine disease concerns, all in one bottle with no mixing or reconstituting. Also, the animals benefit from the three-way protection in one single vaccination. 

“Porcine Circovirus Type 2 is one of the most common and economically damaging viruses in the swine industry,” said Jamie Lehman, D.V.M., swine technical services veterinarian, Merck Animal Health. “The disease remains an important pathogen of growing pigs worldwide. CIRCUMVENT CML delivers efficacy against three of the most commonly identified swine diseases in one bottle – and in one vaccination. There is currently no other available injectable vaccine that combines these three pathogens in one bottle.”

For the development of this novel vaccine, Merck Animal Health sought to understand the needs of the swine industry and then shape its research and development efforts over 10 years to provide effective solutions to meet those unmet needs.

The addition of CIRCUMVENT CML broadens the company’s swine portfolio, which also includes proven products, such as CIRCUMVENT PCV-M G2 and PORCILIS® Ileitis.

This product provides several benefits to swine producers, including: 

  • Reduced injections and reduced pig handling; 
  • Less waste, reduced shipments of products and reduced refrigeration storage space. 
  • The trusted antigens used in our existing products, CIRCUMVENT PCV-M G2 and PORCILIS® Ileitis, which are proven products in the industry that for years have protected swine from disease caused by PCV2, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Lawsonia intracellularis.   
  • The trusted adjuvant used in our CIRCUMVENT PCV-M and PORCILIS Ileitis vaccines, Microsol Diluvac Forte®, enhances the immune response to the antigens and increases the duration of immunity.  

“Merck Animal Health has continued its winning streak in the Best New Food Animal category by bringing differentiated products like this novel vaccine to the market. The company is continuing to build quite a reputation by winning this award multiple times, which is a testament to its innovation and customer focus within the industry,” said Joseph Harvey, head of S&P Global Animal Health. S&P Global provides essential financial information and analytics, including specific commodity coverage, to businesses globally.

In 2023, Merck Animal Health introduced CIRCUMVENT® CML, the first ready-to-use, single-dose vaccine effective against disease caused by Porcine Circovirus Types 2a and 2d, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Lawsonia intracellularis in pigs, three weeks of age or older, to the swine industry. It recently has been awarded the Best New Food Animal Product from S&P Global Animal Health.

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, producers, 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, X (formerly 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. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline candidates that the candidates 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 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, 2022 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).


Media Contact: Kathleen Cuddy
(816) 301-8253
kathleen.cuddy@merck.com