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MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), today announced the launch of Swine Protect & Connect™, an integrated and modular ecosystem that brings together intradermal vaccination, needle-free application, and smart digital traceability to enhance pig healthcare. The announcement was ahead of the 2025 European Symposium of Porcine Health Management (ESPHM), held May 21–23 in Bern, Switzerland.
Developed through extensive collaboration with swine veterinarians and farmers, Swine Protect & Connect is the cornerstone in MSD Animal Health’s decades-long track record of innovation in swine health. The Swine Protect & Connect platform offers an integrated, scalable solution that helps producers and veterinarians manage the complexity of modern swine farming.
The ecosystem is centered around three proven technologies:
- PORCILIS® PCV M Hyo ID – A ready-to-use, intradermal vaccine offering dual protection against two of the most common swine pathogens: PCV2 and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in a single 0.2 mL dose
- IDAL™ – A needle-free, intradermal delivery device supporting safer, faster, and more welfare-friendly vaccination
- LeeO – A digital solution that allows effortless recording of pig performance throughout their lives and turns the data into actionable insights for producers and veterinarians
“Veterinarians and producers are under pressure to meet increasingly stringent standards in traceability, animal welfare and efficiency,” said Stephan von Berg, DVM, global technical director, PigCare, MSD Animal Health. “Swine Protect & Connect, helps enhance herd health and support better decision making by monitoring and vaccination technology in a flexible and scalable solution.”
Swine Protect & Connect is designed to meet the evolving needs of modern pig production and can be implemented either as standalone components or a fully integrated ecosystem. PORCILIS PCV M Hyo ID offers dual protection against two of the most common respiratory pathogens in swine: PCV2 and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. Both these pathogens are often present simultaneously, compounding their impact on lung health, growth performance, and feed efficiency, causing severe economic losses across global production systems.
Field studies have demonstrated the benefits of the PORCILIS PCV M Hyo ID vaccine cuts PCV2 viral load and shedding, eases M. hyopneumoniae lung damage, and safeguards finishing weight gain, while the IDAL device improves user experience and animal comfort. Lee-O provides real-time access to performance data, enabling veterinarians and producers to help optimize protocols and outcomes.
Professor Eleni D. Tzika, DVM, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, who led field trials evaluating the Swine Protect & Connect system, said: “Our study shows that intradermal vaccination with PORCILIS PCV M Hyo ID not only helps improve pig performance—by maintaining daily weight gain =—and also by reducing the viral and clinical burden of two major swine pathogens, PCV2 and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, under real-world farm conditions. These findings support the vaccines role as a practical, welfare-friendly solution for managing respiratory disease more effectively and sustainably in modern swine production. As Hippocrates said, “Prevention is better than cure” — a message that is even more important today. Vaccination is a key part of preventing disease and reducing the need for antibiotics”.
May 21, 2025 - MSD Animal Health
