Merck Animal Health (known as MSD Animal Health outside the U.S. and Canada) announced Dec. 6 that it has acquired Prondil S.A., a privately held company specializing in the development and manufacturing of animal health vaccines for livestock. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Prondil, located in Montevideo, Uruguay, is an internationally recognized supplier of antigens and vaccines for veterinary use. The company’s wide range of products are sold in more than 20 countries, the announcement said.

“At Merck Animal Health, we continue to execute upon our strategy to expand our vaccine leadership and add more breadth to our portfolio,” Merck Animal Health president Rick DeLuca said. “This acquisition of Prondil provides expertise and biologics manufacturing capacity as well as a complementary portfolio of specialized livestock vaccines.”

Vaccines play an important role in protecting animal and public health, while timely and effective vaccination reduces the incidence and severity of disease, enabling efficient production of food animals.