MSD Animal Health Reaffirms its Commitment to Eliminating  Rabies with its 6 Millionth Vaccine Donation Through the Afya Program

RAHWAY, N.J., August 29, 2024 – MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), today announced it has donated more than six million NOBIVAC® rabies vaccines through the Company’s Afya Program, since it was founded.

“Many communities where rabies outbreaks persist, have limited access to resources and vaccines,” said Ingrid Deuzeman, director Global Companion Animal marketing, MSD Animal Health. “That’s why through its global non-profit Afya Program, MSD Animal Health continues to donate NOBIVAC® rabies vaccine for use in canine vaccination campaigns in rabies-endemic communities.”

The global philanthropic program  is committed to helping achieve the World Health Organization’s goal of zero dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030. In partnership with Mission Rabies and Rabies Free Africa, MSD Animal Health is celebrating this milestone as well as a more than 25-year commitment to eliminate rabies and is calling on individuals, organizations, and governments to join hands in the fight against rabies. Rabies could be eliminated by 2030, if governments, charities, industry, vets and pet owners unite in the fight against this deadly disease.

World Rabies Day 2024: A commitment to “breaking boundaries”

The theme for World Rabies Day 2024 is “Breaking Rabies Boundaries.” The theme emphasizes the need to breakthrough and overcome the limitations that are preventing the fight against this deadly disease.

Through a One Health approach, which recognizes that animal health, human health, welfare and sustainability are intertwined, MSD Animal Health prioritizes comprehensive dog vaccination, regular veterinary care, and community-wide awareness are essential to preventing and eliminating rabies. By supporting annual mass vaccination programs for dogs, promoting responsible dog ownership, enhancing surveillance systems, and raising awareness among communities, the One Health approach ensures a comprehensive and integrated strategy to “break through” the limitations that prevent society from eliminating rabies and protecting both human and dog populations.

“Even one death is too many because rabies is 100% vaccine-preventable, and canine mass vaccination initiatives have shown to be the most cost-effective rabies prevention measure” said Alasdair King, executive director, International Veterinary Health, MSD Animal Health. “It really is that simple: by vaccinating dogs we’re also saving human lives.”

About the Afya Program

The Afya Program is a global non-profit initiative supported by MSD Animal Health. For more than 25 years, we have been committed to donating canine rabies vaccines for use in developing regions of the world that so desperately need it. We have dedicated our full support behind the humanitarian efforts of our partners, including Rabies Free Africa and Mission Rabies, and their goal of eliminating canine-mediated rabies. For more information visit: https://www.afya.org/.

About MSD Animal Health

At MSD, known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA in 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. MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business of MSD. Through its commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals®, MSD 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. MSD 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. 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 and connect with us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

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).