MSD and its legacy companies have been working to discover and develop vaccines for more than a century
May 8, 2024
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“An epidemic of diphtheria is almost inevitable here. Stop. I am in urgent need of one million units of diphtheria antitoxin. Stop. Mail is only form of transportation. Stop.”
Dr. Curtis Welch
This was the desperate radio telegram in January 1925 from Dr. Curtis Welch in Nome, Alaska, to all the major Alaska towns, to territorial governor Scott Bone in Juneau, and to the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington, D.C. Diphtheria was spreading through the icebound community. Children had already died, and the local supply of diphtheria antitoxin had expired the previous summer.
Known as the “Great Race of Mercy,” it’s an iconic story of human compassion.
Weather prevented delivery by air, so relay teams of sled dogs and their mushers raced against the clock to deliver 300,000 units of antitoxin, which was produced by MSD legacy company H.K. Mulford. They completed the 674-mile journey over what later became known as the Iditarod Trail in a record-breaking five days and seven hours despite whiteout conditions and temperatures of 50 degrees below zero.
674 miles
5 days
300,000 units
Over 130 years of vaccine leadership
In 1895, the H.K. Mulford Company began marketing the first commercially available diphtheria antitoxin in the U.S., the very medication that helped avert the diphtheria epidemic in Nome. Today, we have a significant presence in vaccine discovery, development and distribution in both human and animal health.
The vaccine pioneers
MSD’s Dr. Maurice Hilleman belongs to a distinguished group of vaccine pioneers — including Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin. Hilleman is credited with helping to develop more than 40 vaccines and his impact on public health is undeniable.
We’re working with national health ministries and non-government agencies to help write new chapters in the public health success story through collaborations, donation programs, and technology transfer agreements.
We’re partnering with N.C. A&T to launch a collaborative biotechnology learning center
May 2, 2024
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Building the workforce of tomorrow means investing in the students of today. That’s why we’ve partnered with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University(N.C. A&T) — the largest historically Black college and university in the U.S. — to launch the MSD Biotechnology Learning Center.
“We’re pleased to launch this new collaboration with an institution that precisely aligns to our company priorities to invest in the growth and delivery of innovative health solutions and strong values around diversity and inclusion,” said Sanat Chattopadhyay, executive vice president and president, MSD Manufacturing Division. “Together we can fuel the growth of talent for our company and the biotechnology industry overall.”
Located in the home state of our Durham and Wilson manufacturing sites, the 4,025 square-foot facility will enhance academic programming and training for biotechnology careers for N.C. A&T students and provide advanced discovery opportunities through its classroom space, process laboratory and state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical manufacturing equipment.
“This collaboration signifies a union between academia and industry, and a commitment to excellence, innovation and the advancement of scientific knowledge,” said Tonya Smith-Jackson, Ph.D., provost and executive vice chancellor of academic affairs for N.C. A&T.
The collaboration also signifies an investment in the community’s future by expanding local and statewide bioeconomy initiatives. It’ll also help to expand talent and recruitment opportunities for our company and offer vaccine manufacturing process training for new and existing employees.
“The MSD Biotechnology Learning Center will provide opportunities for N.C. A&T students to look inside the biopharmaceutical industry and understand what a career in this space looks like. Through our joint initiative with N.C. A&T, we’re developing new and innovative ways to build a pipeline of talent here in North Carolina and beyond.”
Amanda Taylor Vice president and Durham plant manager
Humans, animals and the environment – our health is all connected
Why the One Health approach is important now more than ever
April 15, 2024
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The health of humans, animals and the environment are all interconnected. When the health of one is at risk, the health of all may be at risk.
We see it in diseases transferred between animals or insects and humans (called zoonotic and vector-borne diseases) such as rabies, Lyme disease, West Nile virus, swine flu and Ebola, among others. We also see it in the growing threat from antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which occurs when bacteria mutate in ways that make the medicines (antimicrobials) used to treat infections ineffective, or when these medicines are used inappropriately to treat viral infections. Or, in diseases in food-producing animals, jeopardizing global food security.
Our increasing vulnerability to such new health challenges has led to a focus on “One Health” — an integrated approach to addressing human, animal and environmental health for the benefit of all.
What is One Health?
One Health is the collaborative approach across multiple disciplines — working locally, regionally, nationally and globally — to prevent, detect and respond to health issues at the interfaces between humans, animals and the environment.
It requires collaboration among doctors, veterinarians, nurses, public health practitioners, epidemiologists, agricultural workers, ecologists, wildlife experts, and industry as well as policymakers, communities and even pet owners.
“No one person, organization or sector can address these issues alone. Identifying and responding to growing health challenges requires teamwork,” says Holger Lehmann, DVM, Ph.D., VP, pharmaceuticals research and development, MSD Animal Health.
But what has led to these increasing population health threats?
Why are we more vulnerable to new health challenges?
Society has undergone major changes over the past century. While technology, increased mobility, industrialization, urbanization and globalization have advanced human, animal and environmental health in many ways, they’ve also made us more vulnerable to new health challenges.
For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year, millions of people and animals around the world are affected by zoonotic diseases. Scientists estimate that around 60% of emerging infectious diseases that are reported globally come from animals, both wild and domestic. Over 30 new human pathogens have been detected in the last 3 decades, 75% of which have originated in animals.
They can be spread in a number of ways, including direct or indirect contact, vector-borne, foodborne or waterborne. In fact, foodborne pathogens cause millions of cases of sporadic illness and chronic complications, as well as large and challenging outbreaks in many countries and between countries.
In addition, increased exposure to new viruses/bacteria combined with excessive and/or inappropriate use of medicines is causing a rise in AMR. Worldwide, an estimated 4.95 million people died with drug-resistant bacterial infections in 2019, and 1.27 million of these deaths were directly caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Three main factors are fueling these population health threats, increasing the probability and speed of spreading diseases. They are:
Changes in climate and land use
Deforestation and other disruptions in environmental conditions can provide new opportunities for diseases to develop.
Exponential population growth and expansion into previously uninhabited areas
More people are living in close connection to their companion animals, and in some cases, closer to wild and domestic animals.
Increased international mobility
People, animals and animal products are moving more frequently, easily and widely than ever before.
Our commitment to One Health
With deep expertise in both human and animal health and a commitment to our shared environment, our company is well-positioned to be a leader in the One Health approach.
“We recognize the issues — such as zoonotic and infectious diseases and food safety and security — are interrelated,” says Ian Tarpey, Ph.D., VP, biological research and development, MSD Animal Health. “Our Animal Health and Human Health teams will continue to collaborate to discover and develop preventative solutions for existing and emerging diseases in animals and people.”
Our One Health approach focuses on many areas, including:
Disease prevention
We remain focused on discovering and developing vaccines and technologies to help prevent both human and animal diseases.
Surveillance and monitoring
We’re committed to advocating for and participating in scientifically based surveillance monitoring systems to better understand, track and predict health-related issues.
Respecting our environment
We support science-based, environmentally sound international and national programs to address the challenges to environmental health.
Innovation
Our human and animal health research laboratories collaborate in antimicrobial and vaccine research in many ways including sharing enabling technologies, expertise and evaluation of external opportunities. We’re also investing and developing predictive, monitoring and diagnostic technologies to help animal caretakers make data-driven evaluations of an animal’s health status and optimize their animals’ health and well-being.
Stewardship of essential medicines
We’re playing a leading role in addressing AMR by not only discovering and developing medicines and vaccines to treat and prevent infectious diseases in humans and animals but also supporting responsible use of these products.
Safe and sustainable food supply
We continue to work on developing vaccines and other tools to prevent animal disease to ensure a safe, nutritious, sustainable food supply, and we’ve implemented surveillance initiatives to enable more accurate risk profiling, early disease detection and individualized diagnosis/treatment decisions in livestock.
The science of healthier animals
We build strong partnerships in an effort to improve the health of animals around the world, and approach our work with a deep sense of responsibility — to our customers, consumers, animals, society and the planet.
“One Health recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health, acknowledging that the well-being of each is intricately linked. By embracing a collaborative approach, we can effectively address the complex challenges and promote optimal health for both humans and animals.”
– Dr. Jenelle Krishnamoorthy, VP, global public policy
How science and innovation fuel our efforts to help combat a rare but potentially deadly disease
April 11, 2024
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Patients inspire us to pursue the best science in our inventions and everything we do. Every innovation has the potential to help build a healthier, more hopeful future for people everywhere — which means taking on some of today’s global health challenges, including Ebola.
Leading the effort to combat Zaire ebolavirus
Our company is a health care leader in the fight against Zaire ebolavirus. Along with external collaborators from all sectors, our scientists are at the forefront of the response to outbreaks of this potentially deadly disease as we continue to help address this global health challenge. Zaire ebolavirus has had a devastating impact on the world and has proved itself to be a potentially deadly and contagious disease, with a survival rate of 50%. While there are six identified Ebola virus species, the Zaire ebolavirus strain has been the leading cause of outbreaks over the last 20 years.
Global public health preparedness against future Zaire ebolavirus outbreaks requires advanced planning, system readiness for rapid deployment and collaboration and partnership between public and private entities around the world. Our partnerships with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health partners around the globe are a crucial component of our commitment to helping save and improve lives.
“We take Zaire ebolavirus outbreaks very seriously and act with the utmost urgency to support response efforts,” said Paul Scott, clinical director, clinical research vaccines. “Our teams are dedicated to supporting the frontline workers whose brave actions are critical in outbreak response.”
In 2021, we established an agreement with UNICEF to create the world’s first global Ebola Zaire stockpile, the result of breakthrough innovation and collaboration with four leading international health and humanitarian organizations across the world. The global stockpile offers a critical, rapid-response tool.
“It has been our honor to collaborate with WHO, Gavi, UNICEF, the U.S. government and many others in supporting outbreak preparedness and response efforts,” said Andrew (Drew) Otoo, PharmD, president of global vaccines from 2022-2025 and current regional president, MSD. “Through these collaborations, we demonstrate what’s possible when partners come together to pursue a common purpose for patients.”
This level of collaboration continues to be needed for Zaire ebolavirus and other diseases. We remain committed to working in collaboration with global and local health partners to support current and future outbreak response efforts.
Harnessing innovative technology in drug discovery
MSD scientists explain how new technologies can accelerate the drug discovery process as we use the power of leading edge science to save and improve lives
November 16, 2023
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Our scientists are leveraging state-of-the-art capabilities to discover novel molecules that may lead to the medicines of tomorrow.
MSD Research Laboratories (MRL) scientists evaluate hundreds to thousands to up to billions of compounds to find a starting point for a new drug candidate. It all starts with identifying a target — usually a protein — that’s intrinsically associated with a particular disease and can be pharmacologically modulated. That’s where innovative tools like structure-based design, high-throughput screening and high-throughput experimentation, coupled with robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning can make a huge difference in progressing the work. And once a lead molecule is identified, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) as an emerging structural method can be used to understand and improve how a molecule interacts with the protein target.
Utilizing the latest technologies and diligent work by teams of highly skilled and experienced scientists can potentially accelerate the discovery of new medicines for patients in need.
“We have an incredibly creative, smart and hardworking workforce. It’s an absolute pleasure to be part of that and to have access to the resources necessary for making scientific breakthroughs.”
MSD’s legacy of antimicrobial innovation and action
Delivering on our commitment to fight infectious diseases for more than a century
October 12, 2023
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For more than 100 years, MSD has contributed to the discovery and development of novel medicines and vaccines to fight infectious diseases. With the growing burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), we’ve focused on stopping the increasing threat of AMR.
1930s
MSD Research Laboratories played a central role in the development of sulfas, the first synthetic antimicrobial.
1940s
In collaboration with Rutgers University, we developed streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis. We also helped to develop one of the first methods for mass production of penicillin.
1950s & 1960s
We developed multiple novel methods to prevent infectious diseases, including pediatric vaccines.
1970s & 1980s
We received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for two vaccines, as well as three antibiotics that treat a variety of bacterial infections.
1990s & 2000s
MSD received U.S. FDA approval for two antifungals, as well as licenses for two vaccines.
2002
With resistance to antibiotics developing faster through people, animals and the environment, we launched one of the world’s largest and longest-running antimicrobial resistance surveillance studies. Called the Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends (SMART), the program enables researchers to monitor and identify trends in the development of AMR.
2010s
We launched an Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Investigator Initiated Studies program, supporting investigator-based, peer-reviewed research supporting the implementation of AMS principles across the globe, with over 20% of studies occurring in low-and middle-income countries.
2016
We created the MSD Exploratory Science Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focusing on the earliest stages of research into the underlying biology of human disease.
2016-2017
We supported the first United Nations high-level meeting on AMR and subsequent political declaration in 2016, which set policy action on AMR in motion.
As a next step, we joined the newly founded AMR Industry Alliance – a network of over 100 pharmaceutical industry partners working to provide sustainable solutions to help curb antimicrobial resistance.
2020
MSD, along with a group of more than 20 leading biopharmaceutical companies, launched the AMR Action Fund to bring 2-4 new antibiotics to patients by the end of the decade.
2020s
Our staff have championed government actions to create supportive markets for antimicrobial innovation, including the PASTEUR Act in the U.S., inclusion of transferable exclusivity extensions in the EU pharmaceutical strategy, and other incentives around the world.
By collaborating with policymakers, MSD aims to improve appropriate antibiotic use globally.
Going forward
In recognition of our leadership in both human and animal health, MSD represents industry in the One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, which advocates for a One Health approach to help ensure antibiotics remain an important tool in improving and maintaining human and animal health.
Listen as specialists from MSD discuss what they’re most excited about in researching potential treatments for neurologic disorders
July 13, 2023
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Our scientists are revolutionizing how we discover and develop treatments to address unmet medical needs in a number of areas, including neuroscience.
“It’s sort of like the final frontier,” said Joe Herring, scientific AVP, clinical research, in our new podcast. “You’re going off into space to try to figure out how to do very difficult things.”
For more, listen in as Herring sits down with MSD clinical research team senior principal scientists Yuki Mukai and Ari Merola as well as business development director Paige Lacatena to explore today’s breakthroughs and challenges in the field of neuroscience.
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