Merck Animal Health to Acquire TARGAN, Gaining High-Speed Biodevice Technology for Poultry Operations
核心洞察
Merck Animal Health (搜索) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire TARGAN (搜索), a privately held biodevice innovator for the poultry industry, with closing expected in Q3 2026.
The acquisition brings WingScan™ (搜索), an automated chick gender identification system using vision technology and proprietary algorithms capable of processing up to 160,000 chicks per hour.
TARGAN (搜索)'s portfolio also includes high-speed precision ocular spray technology for administering respiratory and coccidiosis vaccines to day-old chicks.
Merck Animal Health (搜索), a division of Merck & Co., Inc., announced on June 11, 2026 that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire TARGAN (搜索), a privately held innovator in biodevice solutions for the poultry industry. The purchase price was not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Merck Animal Health has been an investor in TARGAN since 2017 and has been one of the company's largest shareholders.
"The acquisition of TARGAN (搜索)'s best-in-class biodevice technology for use in commercial hatcheries complements and accelerates our growing biopharmaceutical presence in poultry and increases our ability to deliver significant customer value globally," said Rick DeLuca, president, Merck Animal Health (搜索). "Additionally, TARGAN brings device development capabilities that will further strengthen our ability to provide animal health solutions across species."
WingScan™ (搜索): Automated Gender Identification at Scale
Central to the acquisition is WingScan™ (搜索), an automated solution that uses vision technology to identify and sort chicks by gender. The system captures high-resolution images of each chick's feathers and analyzes them in real-time using advanced engineering capabilities and proprietary algorithms. WingScan™ can process up to 160,000 chicks per hour and is designed to scale to any size hatchery operation, delivering what the company describes as enhanced poultry performance.
Expanding Vaccine Delivery Capabilities
Beyond gender identification, the acquisition also brings TARGAN (搜索)'s high-speed precision ocular spray technology into Merck Animal Health (搜索)'s portfolio. This system administers respiratory and coccidiosis vaccines, among others, to day-old chicks, complementing Merck's existing poultry vaccine offerings.
Future Biodevice Development Across Species
TARGAN (搜索), founded in 2015 and based in Raleigh, North Carolina, has focused on transforming animal protein production through affordable, individualized technologies aimed at improving speed, accuracy, and animal welfare. Merck Animal Health (搜索) indicated that TARGAN has the potential to develop additional biodevices within poultry and other livestock species, which may shape what the company called "the next frontier in the animal health industry."
TARGAN (搜索) Founder and CEO Ramin Karimpour noted the foundational partnership between the two companies: "Merck Animal Health (搜索) has been a foundational partner of TARGAN since our inception through its belief and commitment to scientific excellence and a common goal of bringing technological innovation to the livestock industry. Through this proposed acquisition, TARGAN will be able to access resources and infrastructure of Merck Animal Health, which will be critical in deploying TARGAN's innovative biodevice technology along with their broad portfolio of poultry vaccines for customers."
DeLuca added that the transaction, "coupled with our commercial and scientific expertise, is another example of how we deliver meaningful innovation to our customers while creating new opportunities for the future."