2023 WPX: Merck Animal Health launches 3-in-1 swine vaccine

June 14, 2023

3 minute read

Merck Animal Health Technical Services Veterinarian Dr. Brett O’Brien spoke with The Pig Sites, Sarah Mikesell at the 2023 World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

Launch of a unique vaccine

We are super excited to launch our first vaccine of its kind, Circumvent CML, said Dr. Brett O’Brien. It is a three-in-one vaccine that controls Porcine Circovirus Type 2a (PCV-2a), Porcine Circovirus Type 2d (PCV-2d), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae AND Intracellular lawsonia.

The new vaccine builds on Merck’s foundation of proven antigens and adjuvant systems that have been available in Circumvent PCV-M G2 and their standalone product Porcilis Ileitis.

Now, that extra convenience is in a small volume bottle. It’s labeled as a single-dose intramuscular (IM) administration for pigs three weeks of age or older, said Dr. OBrien. We are thrilled – people are always asking to do more with less, and we understand the value of fewer strokes because it ultimately reduces the stress of that event altogether less stress for the pigs, less work for the keeper, fewer mistakes of product handling and less waste on the farm.

Customers asked for a product that could put multiple products into pork at once, and Merck accommodated the request.

We are super excited to finally have this vaccine available that allows for fewer injections, said Dr. O’Brien. If you are in the barn and are familiar with the vaccination process, especially in those younger pigs, the benefit of trying to give multiple vaccines at once is a huge plus.

The Mercks standalone vaccines that Circumvent CML replaces are each formulated as a single dose of 2cc each. However, the new product reduces it to a single 2cc dose.

The benefit of this three-in-one shot is really for those younger pigs that we vaccinate and it’s huge, Dr. OBrien added. I’m passionate about wellness and having that stress reduced to vaccination is key.

The new product offers greater convenience for manufacturers along with further assurance that products are delivered correctly, giving peace of mind to manufacturers and healthcare professionals.

At Merck, we know and recognize that labor constraints are real and that you need to maximize and create efficiencies on the farm, he added. Having this all-in-one product is a big deal. Manufacturers are still getting the same level of protection for those critical illnesses and pathogens that they’ve had in the past with our line of products. We have completed several studies on this product and it is a safe and effective product.

Merck’s commitment to research and development

This product has been tested extensively because it has three antigens, said Dr. O’Brien. The amount of R&D work that went into licensing this product was considerable. We did 10 different licensing studies – onset of immunity, duration of immunity and safety studies, but we didn’t stop there. We have continued with further studies in preparation for this launch.

Knowing the real-world disease pressures for pigs, Merck decided to conduct co-challenge models to demonstrate to the producer that they will have protection in real-world situations.

Testing those real-world situations is huge for manufacturers to give them peace of mind, he said. We recognize that pigs in various stages have many different health challenges ahead and want to ensure producers have peace of mind, safety and security on board. We prove it time and time again and want to keep our bar high for what we deliver to our customers.

Again, we’re super excited about our new three-in-one product,” he said. If you would like more information about the product, you can visit Drivenbyprevention.com or speak to your Merck sales representative.