Merck Animal Health takes two top 2025 S&P Global product awards: full analysis
Merck Animal Health has picked up two headline product wins in the 2025 S&P Global Animal Health Awards, with NUMELVI taking best companion animal product and INNOVAX ND-IBD-ILT taking best food animal product. Merck said the result makes it the first company to win both categories in the same year, while extending its run to eight consecutive years with an S&P Global Animal Health award. (merck-animal-health.com)
The announcement lands at a useful moment for Merck because both products are tied to broader strategic themes in animal health: dermatology growth in companion animal, and higher-efficiency preventive vaccination in poultry. NUMELVI is a recent entrant, with Merck announcing FDA approval on February 25, 2026, for the control of pruritus associated with allergic dermatitis in dogs 6 months of age and older. The company said it expects the product to be available at veterinary clinics and hospitals nationwide in spring 2026. (merck.com)
Merck is positioning NUMELVI as the first and only second-generation JAK inhibitor approved in the U.S. for that canine indication. In its approval announcement, the company emphasized once-daily dosing, use in dogs as small as 4.4 pounds, and no need to adjust vaccination schedules. Merck also framed the drug around an unmet clinical need, noting that skin conditions can account for up to 20% of cases seen in general practice. (merck.com)
On the food animal side, the award spotlights a poultry platform Merck has been building for several years. In the U.S., Merck announced commercial availability of INNOVAX-ILT-IBD in February 2024 after USDA license approval, describing it as a single-injection vaccine protecting against Marek’s disease, infectious laryngotracheitis, and infectious bursal disease. In Europe, the newer Innovax-ND-IBD-ILT formulation received a positive opinion from the EMA’s Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products on May 15, 2025. According to the EMA summary, the product is intended for one-day-old chicks or 18- to 19-day-old embryonated eggs and is designed to reduce mortality, clinical signs, and lesions associated with Newcastle disease, ILT, IBD, and Marek’s disease. (merck-animal-health-usa.com)
Public expert reaction appears limited so far, with most visible commentary coming from Merck and trade coverage echoing the company’s framing rather than offering independent analysis. Merck’s dermatology veterinarian, Christine McKinney, DVM, DACVD, described NUMELVI as aimed at rapidly controlling pruritus associated with allergic dermatitis, while poultry commercial comments around the Innovax line have focused on early-life protection and hatchery administration efficiency. Based on the available coverage, the main industry takeaway is less about the award itself and more about where Merck is placing innovation bets across species. (merck.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary teams, awards don’t change standard of care on their own, but they can highlight products likely to see heavier commercial support, education, and uptake. In companion animal practice, NUMELVI adds another branded option in the crowded canine itch and allergy space, where speed of onset, age labeling, safety profile, and clinic workflow all matter. In poultry, multivalent recombinant vaccines such as Innovax-ND-IBD-ILT speak directly to disease-prevention economics, hatchery logistics, and the push to protect flocks against several high-impact pathogens with fewer handling steps. (merck.com)
There’s also a competitive signal here. Merck won the 2024 S&P Global best new companion animal product award for injectable BRAVECTO, and the company’s repeated presence in these awards suggests a pipeline and launch strategy that spans both pet and production segments. That doesn’t necessarily predict clinical adoption, but it does indicate where one of the industry’s largest players is concentrating R&D and commercialization resources. (msd-animal-health.com)
What to watch: The next concrete milestone is NUMELVI’s spring 2026 U.S. launch, which will show how strongly Merck can penetrate the canine dermatology market, while on the poultry side the key watchpoint is whether Innovax-ND-IBD-ILT converts regulatory momentum into broader market uptake across regions. (merck.com)