MSD Statement on the U.S. Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule
January 8, 2026 5:31 pm EST
Rahway, N.J., Jan. 8, 2026 – At MSD, we share the same fundamental belief with health care providers and parents alike: every child deserves to grow up safe, healthy and able to thrive. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our medicines and vaccines and the wellbeing of the people who rely on them.
For families today, many infectious diseases may feel like distant history. That progress exists because childhood vaccination has been remarkably successful. Decades of science-based immunization policy, supported by continuous safety monitoring and real-life evidence across millions of children, have helped protect communities.
The U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule has long reflected this rigorous approach. Vaccines are studied extensively in clinical trials using specific dosing regimens, and vaccinations are timed based on multiple scientific considerations, including when maternal antibodies wane, when children are most likely to be exposed to or susceptible to certain diseases, how immune systems respond at different ages and how healthcare providers can most effectively deliver protection.
As the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) makes changes to the immunization schedule, it is critical that changes are informed by comprehensive data and guided by experts in vaccinology, pediatrics, infectious diseases and epidemiology. International comparisons should also be evaluated in the proper context, recognizing differences in disease burden, healthcare infrastructure and population needs.
Shared clinical decision-making plays an important role in healthcare, helping clinicians and families consider individual circumstances and risks. However, clear, evidence-based recommendations remain essential to support informed decisions and ensure that children and adolescents receive reliable protection against preventable diseases.
As recent outbreaks in the U.S. have shown, sustained confidence in vaccination programs is critical to protecting individuals and communities. When vaccination rates decline, the consequences can be serious.
MSD stands firmly behind an immunization framework grounded in rigorous science, strong regulatory processes and ongoing safety monitoring. We remain committed to working with public health partners to support policies that help protect children and adolescents, strengthen communities and preserve the progress achieved through immunization.
About Our Company
At Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, known as MSD outside of 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 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities.
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, 2024 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).
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