Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC (operating as MSD globally and Merck & Co. in the United States and Canada) is a research-intensive biopharmaceutical company with more than 130 years of history in drug discovery, vaccine development, and animal health solutions. The company maintains a diverse pipeline addressing major global health concerns, spanning human medicines, vaccines, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and public health initiatives.
The company's technical work spans biopharmaceutical research, vaccine development, drug discovery for human diseases, animal health solutions, and public health and food safety-related initiatives. MSD Animal Health operates as a dedicated business unit providing veterinary solutions that support food safety, public health protection, and protein supplies worldwide. The company's historical contributions include Streptomycin, an antibiotic breakthrough that helped reduce tuberculosis deaths by nearly 50% by 1950.
MSD operates globally with significant presence in the United States, Canada, and worldwide markets. The company describes itself as aspiring to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company, guided by the principle that medicine is for the people, not for the profits. Its research philosophy emphasises following the science to make the greatest difference across human and animal health domains.