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.

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 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, 2023 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).

Source:- Merck Animal Health