Wide range of innovative products keeps Bayer in the public eye

PETALING JAYA, 21 January 2008 – In a strategic move to consolidate its various businesses in Malaysia, Bayer has brought together the full range of its operations in the country at its new office in Petaling Jaya. The new office brings under one roof the combined strength of Bayer’s core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials.

Gracing the inauguration ceremony of the new office in Jaya 33, His Excellency Herbert D. Jess, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, said, “For over 35 years, Bayer in Malaysia has been dedicated to developing and marketing numerous products that benefit people and improve their quality of life. I am delighted to see the company mark this major milestone.”

With headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany, Bayer in Malaysia fulfills its corporate mission of “Science For A Better Life” through three operating subgroups – Bayer HealthCare, Bayer MaterialScience and Bayer CropScience.

For more than a century now, many pioneering inventions by Bayer’s researchers and scientists have made history and revolutionized medicine, chemistry and materials development — discovery milestones like Aspirin®, the wonder drug of the 20th century whose new uses are still being discovered to this day; sulfonamides, the first drug against a broad spectrum of bacterial infections that earned the Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine; and polyurethane, an invention that has benefited many aspects of everyday life.

“Bayer has been driving innovation for over a century, and it is this innovative power that will continue to fuel our competitiveness and growth,” said Mr. Marcus Yim, Senior Bayer Representative for South ASEAN. In 2006 alone, the Bayer Group spent a total of EUR 2.3 billion for research and development. By focusing our resources on the expanding areas of our innovative HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience businesses, we are laying the foundations for sustained, long-term growth in future markets.”

In Malaysia, Bayer’s operations are organized into two distinct companies and separate legal entities, both important constituents of the Bayer Country Group South ASEAN.

Bayer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd was established in 1972, following the rise of the chemical and textile industries in Malaysia.

Bayer MaterialScience
Today the bulk of the legal entity’s activities is the material science business, with innovation-driven products and applications that range from Polyurethanes and Coating Raw Materials to Polycarbonate Plastics.

As the local automotive industry gears up to meet this year’s expected growth amidst concerns about the rising cost of petrol, the high-tech plastic Makrolon® invented by Bayer will play an increasingly important role. Used in the lightweight construction of automotive components, it makes a vital contribution to reducing fuel consumption. In the area of digital storage media, Makrolon® has truly grown from strength to strength. As an indispensable material in the production of CDs and DVDs, Makrolon® now enables the permanent storage of holographic data on 300 gigabytes data carriers to meet the worldwide demand for media with a capacity for storing large volumes of digital data.

Presently Bayer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd also acts as the agent for Lanxess and Polymer Latex in the country, the former having spun off from the Bayer Group and listed as an independent company in 2004. The portfolio of Lanxess comprises most of Bayer’s former chemical activities and part of its polymer business.
A second company, Bayer Co. (M) Sdn Bhd, was established recently and houses the life sciences activities of Bayer CropScience and Bayer HealthCare, as well as the company’s corporate service functions.

Bayer HealthCare
Bayer HealthCare is comprised of Bayer Schering Pharma, Bayer Consumer Care, and Bayer Animal Health.

Bayer Schering Pharma (BSP) was formed in Malaysia at the beginning of 2007 after Bayer’s global acquisition of Schering to form one of the leading specialty pharmaceutical companies in the world. Focus areas in Malaysia are the Women’s Healthcare and Primary Care business units. Women’s Healthcare includes an innovative line of medical solutions for oral and non-oral contraception, menopause management and treatment of gynaecological diseases. Primary Care focuses on specific men’s health treatments, well-known and proven anti–infectives, preparations against hypertension and coronary heart diseases as well as oral treatment of diabetes. BSP also provides solutions in the field of Haematology and Cardiology, Specialized Therapeutics, Oncology and Diagnostic Imaging.

Among the key innovations Bayer Schering Pharma has introduced to Malaysia is drospirenone, found in the company’s most advanced group of oral contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy that provides women with a greater sense of well-being through the reduction of water retention related weight gain and premenstrual symptoms, as well as improved skin. On the oncology front, sorafenib, an innovative targeted therapy, has been found to double the period in which progression of kidney cancer in patients is arrested. Sorafenib is pending approval for liver cancer in Malaysia, and is currently being
investigated for other indications such as breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, the preliminary results for which look promising.

In Malaysia, Bayer Consumer Care, as one of the largest marketers of over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements, offers an extensive portfolio of dietary supplements, such as the well known brands Redoxon®, Berocca®, and Supradyn®.

The Animal Health Division produces and distributes a variety of veterinary drugs and grooming products for livestock and companion animals.

Bayer CropScience
In providing innovative products and combined solutions for agriculture and environmental health in Malaysia, the subgroup Bayer CropScience is an industry leader.

Its crop protection products are used in all major crops in Malaysia, including oil palm, rubber, rice, vegetables and fruits. The broad portfolio of agricultural technologies and solutions support safe and sustainable production by enhancing crop productivity, improving crop quality and reducing crop loss resulting from insects, diseases and weeds without compromising safety in regard to the worker and farmer, the crop, the environment, and the food chain. Introduced to the country in 2005, the Bayer CropScience initiative “Increasing Productivity with Smart Alternatives” (IPSA) aims to raise awareness for agricultural safety by way of informational campaigns, training programs, and the provision of protective gears.

Bayer Environmental Science offers a range of highly targeted products for the control of pests like flies, cockroaches, and termites, and its vector control experts work closely with local authorities to provide products, services and support to manage insect vectors which transmit serious diseases like malaria and dengue.

The two Bayer entities in Malaysia recorded an annual turnover in excess of MYR 400 Million in 2006 and employ over 200 people.

As a responsible corporate citizen, Bayer sponsors environment-oriented programs and activities for young people. In partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme, the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy (BYEE) is in its third year running in the country, where deserving young Malaysians get the opportunity every year to participate in a field trip to Germany to learn about trends and perspectives in environmental protection and sustainability.