NEW YORK, November 12, 2015: Morgan Lewis represented Merck & Co., Inc. (“Merck”) in Merck Animal Health's acquisition of Harrisvaccines, a privately held company that develops, manufactures, and sells vaccines for food production and companion animals. Merck Animal Health—known as MSD Animal Health outside the United States and Canada—is the global animal health business unit of Merck. The agreement was announced on November 12; the terms were not disclosed. The companies expect the transaction to close by the end of the year.
Harrisvaccines offers innovative technology and an important portfolio of vaccines focusing on production animals—an increasingly important segment as worldwide consumer demand for protein continues to grow. The company has a unique RNA particle technology that represents a breakthrough in vaccine development.
The Morgan Lewis team advising on the transaction was led by partner Sheryl Orr. Other team members included partners Tracy Steele, Judy Walkoff, Craig Bitman, Todd Buck, Anita Polott and Ross Friedman; and associates Adam Benbassat, Varun Gupte, Amanda Goceljak, Kelly Kuschel, Timothy Kennedy and Zarui Kocharyan.