Merck Animal Health Unveils ALLFLEX® APR Series Handheld Readers

A new family of handheld readers saves time and provides producers with more capabilities for advanced animal management

RAHWAY, N.J., October 29, 2024 – Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), today announced the wide availability of a new series of ALLFLEX^® APR handheld RFID readers, which are designed to enhance efficiency and productivity for livestock producers.

          The new family of handheld readers offers expanded storage in a compact, rugged format, which is useful for livestock producers to manage record collection with speed, convenience and accuracy.

          The new APR650 is the top-of-the-line unit. This reader scans Electronic Identification tag numbers and barcodes, opening new avenues for producers to link an animal to any information that has a barcode.

          “Scanning barcodes provides a seamless flow of information about a specific animal – ranging from its breeding records to its wellness information to its production potential – right into the office of the livestock producer,” said Brandt Kreuscher, business development manager for Merck Animal Health. “This technology gives them immediate access to private, accurate, reliable information about their animals.”

          “You can use or create a barcode to represent any key piece of information – genetic records, pedigree, health input, DNA sample, or even a barcode that the producer assigns to a specific protocol or location-based task,” Kreuscher said.

          The APR650 has a useful keypad for entering information, stores up to one million records and can be connected remotely to a producer’s office.

          Another option is the Allflex APR250, a more basic reader, that stores up to 100,000 electronic ID numbers and offers advanced remote connectivity for modern mobile information management.

           “We are excited to see producers and veterinarians utilizing these new handheld readers to identify, track, store and analyze data – making it a real game-changer in delivering advanced animal management,” Kreuscher added.

          Each APR product is ergonomically designed in rugged casing and verifies reads with flashing lights, vibrations, and sounds. The free Allflex CONNECT smartphone application facilitates information transfer from APR to office.

          For more information about the comprehensive Allflex line of products from Merck Animal Health, visit allflexusa.com or talk to your Merck Animal Health sales representative.

Merck Animal Health rolls out the ALLFLEX APR series handheld RFID readers. The new family of readers saves time and provides producers with more capabilities for advanced animal management.

About Merck Animal Health

          At Merck, 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 a century, we’ve been at the forefront of research, bringing forward medicines, vaccines and innovative health solutions for the world’s most challenging diseases. Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, is the global animal health business of Merck. Through its commitment to The Science of Healthier Animals^®, Merck Animal Health offers veterinarians, farmers, producers, pet owners and governments one of the widest ranges of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services as well as an extensive suite of connected technology that includes identification, traceability and monitoring products. Merck Animal Health is dedicated to preserving and improving the health, well-being and performance of animals and the people who care for them. It invests extensively in dynamic and comprehensive R&D resources and a modern, global supply chain. Merck Animal Health is present in more than 50 countries, while its products are available in some 150 markets. For more information, visit www.merck-animal-health.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

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, 2023 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).

---