Merck Animal Health Calls for Swine PhD Award Submissions

MADISON, NJ, November 14, 2016 – Merck Animal Health (known as MSD Animal Health outside the US and Canada) is proud to announce its sponsorship of the 2017 High Quality Pork Ph.D. Award in support of research in swine health, production and welfare. Merck Animal Health will award one recent doctoral graduate in veterinary or animal science the opportunity to present their research to an impressive number of industry specialists at upcoming MSD Animal Health High Quality Pork meetings to be held in Europe, the Americas and Asia in 2017.
“As a company committed to the Science of Healthier Animals™, Merck Animal Health is proud to invest in the futures of young veterinarians and veterinary scientists,” Rika Jolie, DVM, Ph.D., MBA, global technical director, Swine, Merck Animal Health. “We hope to establish life-long partners to further important and ongoing research and innovation that will benefit swine health, production and welfare.”
To apply, eligible graduates must submit a 300-word summary of their research project and a brief letter describing why they deserve the award to HQPorkPhDAward@merck.com. Applications must be submitted by January 15, 2017.
Eligible graduates must have completed doctoral (PhD) research for an applied project in either veterinary or animal science with an emphasis on swine and defended their doctoral degree in the past 12 months. Topics of high interest include anti-infective reduction, welfare, precision medicine, infectious diseases, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv), porcine circovirus (PCV), Lawsonia and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. Hyo), and reproductive management.
The winner will be notified in mid-February and must be available to present their research at the 2017 High Quality Pork congresses in Europe (Austria), March 22-23; North America (Miami), April 5-6; and China (TBD), October 30-31.
For additional details or to apply, please visit: highqualitycongress.com/hqporkphdaward.aspx.

About Merck Animal Health

For 125 years, Merck has been a global health care leader working to help the world be well. Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada, is the global animal health business unit of Merck. Through its commitment to the Science of Healthier Animals™, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, pet owners and governments one of the widest range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services. Merck 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. 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 or connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter at @MerckAH.

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. 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 2015 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).