MSD Animal Health Partners With Vinovo for Enhanced Poultry Health

Combines Broad Vaccine Portfolio with Novel Delivery System
to Efficiently and Effectively Protect Against Highly Infectious Poultry Diseases

Utrecht, The Netherlands, June 20, 2018 – MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, one of the world leaders in animal vaccines, today announced a partnership agreement with Vinovo B.V., a division of the leading hatchery automation company, Viscon Hatchery Automation. This synergistic partnership, which was announced during a signing ceremony at the VIV Europe World Expo, will bring together MSD Animal Health’s unique broad vaccine product line and Vinovo’s novel vaccine delivery system to provide a new standard in safe and effective in ovo vaccination, thereby improving bird welfare, reducing vaccine reactions and providing  greater protection for the chickens. This year’s VIV Europe World Expo, held in Utrecht, Netherlands, focused on new technologies for smart food production – applying advanced and innovative methods, like those highlighted through this partnership, to improve efficiency, quality and sustainability. 

“This is a true partnership, bringing together our broad vaccine portfolio which protects poultry against highly infectious diseases with Vinovo’s top-of-the-line novel delivery system technology to help poultry growers around the world,” said Taylor Barbosa, DVM, Ph.D., ACPV, Executive Director, Global Poultry Marketing, MSD Animal Health. “At MSD Animal Health, we strive for scientific innovations that safeguard the health and welfare of poultry and work in close collaboration with our customers to deliver the information, technologies and veterinary services to meet their needs around the world. Through this partnership, we will provide the next generation of safe in ovovaccination for better protected and healthier birds, living up to our commitment  to the Science of Healthier Animals™.” 

“We are proud and excited that MSD Animal Health, being an industry leading, vaccine company, selected us as their strategic partner for in ovo equipment,” said Bas Smaal, General Manager, Viscon Hatchery Automation. “This will accelerate our in ovo business and worldwide presence in sales and services, which will be beneficial for our existing and future customers. We have specialized in hatchery automation for more than 25 years, and this partnership supports our main drive to create competitive advantages and continuity for our clients through efficient, reliable, cost-effective and future proof automation solutions that can grow and change with their organization.” 

In ovo vaccination is a proven method for the application of various vaccines in a hatchery. Vinovo takes in ovo to a new level through the integration of a set of innovative machines. These machines detect and separate non-viable embryos, vaccinates live embryos and transfers the vaccinated viable eggs to the hatchery. Together, this technology provides the process and technique to work toward better protected and healthier birds: delivering vaccines accurately to a precise location within the egg; removing non-viable eggs – which can hold pathogenic bacteria – to ensure the highest possible level of hygiene; and saving more vaccine through accurate delivery to only viable eggs. 

MSD Animal Health is the largest poultry vaccine manufacturer worldwide, with a broad product line against most major pathogens and a focus on diseases affecting broilers, breeders and layers.  With a robust R&D pipeline spanning key disease areas, the company aims to advance vaccine and pharmaceutical scientific innovations in veterinary medicine in poultry as well as in other species areas. 

About MSD Animal Health
For more than a century, MSD, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world’s most challenging diseases. MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business unit of MSD. Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier Animals™, MSD Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services. MSD Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. MSD Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.msd-animal-health.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Viscon Hatchery Automation
Beginning in the 1990’s, Viscon Hatchery Automation has grown and developed with the industry and today stands as one of the market leaders in intelligent automation solutions for broiler, layer and breeder hatcheries worldwide. While building on expertise with research, continual innovation and a pragmatic approach, each project undertaken whether it be standalone machinery, modifying an existing hatchery or helping to build some of the world’s largest hatcheries, has allowed Viscon to become a specialist in the field. With a flexible approach, Viscon can adapt each and every component of its hatchery automation processes to any incubator brand and configuration found on the market today. While it is still relevant today, automation has become more than just a way to reduce costs or improve on operational efficiencies. By promoting the ability to perform in-house manufacturing, a fully customizable and transparent experience is achieved with every stage from inquiry to aftersales service. Viscon has diversified its automation capabilities to be able to offer you more. Topics like health, hygiene, disease prevention and traceability are just mere examples of what our automation can help achieve. For in ovo vaccination Viscon has developed a new line of machines. This product line carries the brand Vinovo and offers hatcheries a bio-secure and accurate solution for in ovo vaccination that will improve health and welfare of chicks, starting from the earliest stage in the hatchery. For more information, visit www.visconhatcheryautomation.com or www.vinovo.nl.

Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, 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 products that the products 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 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 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).