Merck Animal Health Receives Marketing Authorization from European Commission for INNOVAX®-ND-H5 Vaccine for Use in Chickens
First centrally registered vaccine in the European Union against the currently circulating avian influenza virus strains of clade 2.3.4.4b
RAHWAY, N.J., May 24, 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 that the European Commission has granted the marketing authorization for the INNOVAX®-ND-H5 vaccine for chickens. This vaccine is the first centrally registered vaccine in the European Union against the currently circulating avian influenza virus strains of clade 2.3.4.4b, which cause high mortality in poultry. Any use of vaccines for HPAI should be done in conjunction with rigorous biosecurity and surveillance programs and in line with Government regulations.
“We are pleased that the European Commission has approved INNOVAX®-ND-H5 vaccine for chickens,” said Maxim Nakhodko, Global Poultry Business Unit Lead, MSD Animal Health. “This vaccine bolsters Merck Animal Health’s avian influenza portfolio, which consists of inactivated vaccines for the H5 and H9 hemagglutinin subtypes and can help reduce the challenges raised by avian influenza and offer an optimized HPAI control system.”
INNOVAX-ND-H5 is a single-dose product administered in ovo or subcutaneously at one day of age to reduce mortality, clinical signs and virus excretion due to infection with highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus of the H5 type. In addition, the vaccine induces active immunity against Marek’s disease and Newcastle disease and data is available that the vaccine can safely be administered in combination with NOBILIS RISMAVAC®, Merck Animal Health’s Rispens strain Marek’s disease vaccine.
INNOVAX-ND-H5 forms part of a holistic Avian influenza solution strategy aiming to clinically protect poultry and minimizing or ideally eliminating avian influenza virus shed over the whole life cycle of the birds. In fact, the 180+ countries of the World Health Organisation for Animals (WOAH) agreed in a 2023 Resolution that “conventional control measures of biosecurity, stamping out and movement restrictions…can be insufficient and unsustainable” and that “vaccination should be considered as a complementary disease control tool.”
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.
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