News 2009

2009	Xarelto on the way to worldwide registration The novel anticoagulant Xarelto® (rivaroxaban) can already be used for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in adults following elective hip or knee replacement surgery in more than 20 countries, including the countries in the European Union, China, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Singapore. Further applications for regulatory approval are currently being reviewed by the responsible authorities worldwide, including in the United States. Studies in this indication have shown that rivaroxaban is more effective than the current standard therapy. This drug is currently the most intensively investigated oral Factor xa inhibitor in clinical development. More than 60,000 patients in total are scheduled to take part in this trial program to investigate the substance’s potential in the prevention and treatment of a broad spectrum of acute and chronic thromboembolic disorders. The oral administration form of Xarelto® makes it easier for the patient to take the drug and leads to treatment adherence. Experts estimate the product’s sales potential at more than €2 billion per year. 1:48 Min.
April 2009	Environmentally conscious employer In April 2009 Bayer Inc. was selected as one of Canada’s 30 Greenest Employers for 2009 by Maclean’s Magazine. Together with Torontobased publisher Mediacorp. Canada Inc., the magazine assessed companies with respect to their level of environmental awareness. The jury assessed not only specific climate initiatives and programs, but also the extent to which the workforce was involved in these activities. Bayer Inc. was praised in particular for its Green Matters initiative, one of the main projects of which is “Operation Zero Waste.” This has the goal of diverting 80 percent of Bayer head office waste from landfills by 2010.
March 2009	Innovation award for photovoltaic module Modern solar technology is in demand all over the world. At the “Symposium on Photovoltaic Solar Energy” held in Bad Staffelstein, Germany, in March 2009, the new Solon Black 160 / 05 in-roof module, a joint project between the Berlin-based company Solon SE and Bayer MaterialScience, was awarded a prestigious innovation award. The novel feature of this solar module is an innovative frame with an integrated mounting system based on the polyurethane foam Bayflex®, which replaces the conventional installation system. This design makes an expensive substructure unnecessary. A further advantage is the wide range of possible design options. In contrast to the conspicuous box-like structure of solar systems with aluminum frames, a network of several solar modules with polyurethane frames gives the appearance of a continuous surface. BaySystems is the umbrella brand for the global polyurethane systems business of Bayer MaterialScience and is built on close cooperation with customers – an approach that has yet again proven successful with this innovation. The project is the latest example of Bayer MaterialScience’s outstanding commitment to climate protection.
March 2009	New research center in China Bayer HealthCare and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China entered into a comprehensive strategic partnership in March 2009. They plan to establish a joint research center: the Bayer-Tsinghua (Institute of Biomedicine) Research Center of Innovative Drug Discovery. The research center is part of an initiative of Bayer HealthCare’s new Research and Development Center in Beijing, in which scientists from the Global Drug Discovery Innovation Center will drive forward innovative approaches for the discovery of new therapies in the context of research collaborations. Bayer HealthCare plans to invest some €100 million in this project in the coming five years. 1:13 Min.
March 2009	Cooperation for sustainably safeguarding the food supply In March 2009, Bayer CropScience and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris renewed a framework agreement signed in 2005. The new joint research projects pursued under this agreement are intended to contribute to ensuring a sustainable food supply for a growing world population against the background of climate change. Over the next four years, Bayer CropScience will invest some €4 million in joint research projects. This funding will support basic research projects at a number of cnrs institutions throughout France. One of them is the “mixed laboratory” with a team of about 20 researchers at the La Dargoire research campus operated by Bayer CropScience in Lyon. A multidisciplinary approach will be adopted to improve the stress tolerance of plants and find ways to increase yields – areas in which several CNRS research teams are among the global leaders.
February 2009	Bayer sponsors first Chair for Apparatus Engineering at Dortmund’s Technical University In February 2009, Bayer sponsored the first Chair for Apparatus Engineering at the Technical University (TU) of Dortmund, Germany. The professorship will be financed by Bayer with a donation of €750,000 for the first five years, after which its costs will be borne by the tu. Apparatus engineering will in future play an even more important role in the planning and construction of chemical production plants. Modularized facilities, a main topic for the new Chair, are designed to provide greater flexibility and economic efficiency. Another area of focus is micro-process engineering, which is used to help with the building of ultra-small production plants.
January 2009	New pilot plant for carbon nanotubes Bayer MaterialScience started work on the construction of a new pilot facility for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in January 2009. The new plant in Leverkusen will have a capacity of 200 metric tons per year, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world. CNTs marketed by Bayer MaterialScience under the trade name Baytubes® are already being used to produce materials that are extremely strong and resilient, but at the same time very light in weight. They help to make rotor blades for wind turbines more energy-efficient, transport vessels lighter and sporting equipment stronger. Baytubes® are many times stronger than steel, but have only a fraction of its weight. 2:42 Min.
January 2009	Bayer endows Chair of Sustainable Development With an endowment of US$1 million, Bayer CropScience enabled a Chair of Sustainable Development to be established at the North Carolina State University (NCSU), United States, in January 2009. With this collaboration, Bayer has found a partner in its research efforts to find solutions to the complex problems that issues like global climate change, population growth, and food and water shortages present.
January 2009	New project to support women: start of the Women’s Leadership Initiative In January 2009, Bayer HealthCare (BHC) launched the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI). The initiative is aimed at further strengthening diversity in the workforce. The event was attended by 120 female Bayer HealthCare managers working in the United States. In his presentation, Arthur J. Higgins, Chairman of the bhc Executive Committee, said, “We have a lot of diversity to offer in our portfolio, our products and from a geographical point of view, but when it comes to our employees there is still a need for action. The Women’s Leadership Initiative is an important step towards fully utilizing our workforce’s potential.” With the WLI, BHC is pursuing two objectives at the same time: to be perceived as an attractive company by women in top management positions and also to further develop female managers.