"Research is the key to success", says Werner Wenning, President of the Council of management of Bayer
on October 31, 2006
With the acquisition of Schering AG, Bayer strengthens particularly the activities of research in the pharmaceutical area. "Intensive pharmaceutical business in research never contributed before a very high share of the turnover of the group", said Wenning to 140 journalists from 16 countries. With sales of 9.1 billion euros and a research budget of 1.6 billion euros (figures based on data from the year 2005), the new company Bayer Schering Pharma, Berlin-based, it will become one of the largest pharmaceutical companies of Germany. It is intended especially enhance the therapeutic areas of cardiovascular and cancer.
Bayer highlights advances in the pharmaceutical field among the prepared Nexavar against kidney cancer, which was released in the United States.UU. at the end of 2005 in record time, three years below the average. This year, Bayer was authorized for this drug in the EU. The active principle is also at an advanced stage of clinical trials for indications of liver, skin and lung cancer. Other examples of successes in pharmaceutical research are the antithrombotic rivaroxabán, as well as the extensions of the authorization for the contraceptive YAZ and the preparation against multiple sclerosis Betaferón.
Bayer MaterialScience: more than 20 per cent of the turnover corresponds to new products
Nanotechnology is one of the key technologies for the future, and occupies a central place in the research of materials of Bayer. The possibilities offered are countless, from surfaces that repel dirt to applications in the field of medicine or paintings that regenerate themselves after suffering little damage.
Germany continues to be the main location of the research of Bayer
But also other sections employees are called upon to contribute their ideas on possible new products. With the initiative "Triple i" (the name is derived from the initials of the words "inspiration", "ideas" and "innovation") is intended to stimulate the creative potential of 110,000 employees around the world, whose ideas will be analysed by specialists and ideallydeveloped to transform them into innovative products. To this end, the company has made available this year EUR 50 million. More than 1,600 proposals, of which more than 25 seem very promising have been received since the launch of the initiative in April 2006.