Then

A history of over 100 years of global vaccine innovation¹

MSD globally has a long history of discovering and developing vaccines, dating back to the 1890s.¹ Today, MSD continues to research potential vaccines to address significant health needs that remain unmet.

The pioneering discoveries made by Dr Maurice Hilleman, who led MSD’s Department of Virus and Cell Biology from 1956 to 1984, continue to inspire scientists in medical research laboratories to this day.¹ Dr Hilleman was credited with helping to develop more than 40 vaccines – some of which are still the basis for vaccines used in Australia today – that have helped save millions of lives.²

vaccine doses distributed by MSD around the world in 2022

Globally MSD has over 100 years of vaccine innovation^*†1

_{*Based on US dates.
†MSD and our predecessor companies have a history with vaccines that dates back more than 100 years. In 1898, The H. K. Mulford Company produced its first batch of smallpox vaccine. In 1929, the H. K. Mulford Company was purchased by the Sharp & Dohme (S&D) Company of Baltimore. In April 1953, Sharp & Dohme merged with Merck & Company, Inc., becoming Merck Sharp & Dohme.}