Bayer: Products and Projects

Bayer

Products and Projects

What do the CD you are listening to, the mattress you sleep on, the clothes you wear, the hangover cure that sees you through the morning after the night before, the prescription drugs that the doctor gives you, the pesticides that are sprayed on fields near where you live (and are on the food you eat), the skin of that sausage you have just eaten…all have in common? There is a good chance that some if not all of these products are at least partially made by Bayer AG. Bayer are one of the most ubiquitous corporations going, you may not know it but their products are all around you (and inside you).

Bayer produce very few products that are recognised by the general public. Well known Bayer brands include Alka-Seltzer, One-A-Day vitamins and Baby-Bio. The following section is a division by division overview of Bayer's products.

Bayer Healthcare

^[1] Bayer's healthcare division is divided into five further segments:

Pharmaceuticals ^[2] Bayer's most famous product during the last few months has been Cipro, (http://www.cipro.com) a broad spectrum antibiotic which is used against anthrax. See the Corporate Crimes section for more information on how Bayer managed to overcharge the US and Canadian governments for Cipro and made a fortune out of the anthrax attacks.

Another flagship product is Avelox, (http://www.avelox.com) an antibiotic.

Bayer also manufactures Aspirin Protect in Germany

Bayer's products in the UK are:

• Adalat (nifedipine) (Cardiovascular)
• Ciproxin (ciprofloxacin) (Anti-Infective)
• Glucobay (acarbose) (Metabolics)
• Nimotop (nimodipine) (Central Nervous System)
• Trasylol (aprotinin) (Cardiovascular)
• DTIC-DOME (dacarbazine) (Oncology)

Biological Products ^[3] The Biological Products division manufactures human therapeutic products, all except one of which are derived from human plasma.

Consumer Care ^[4] Bayer Consumer Care makes over-the-counter drugs. Its best known products are Aspirin, Alka-Seltzer, One-A-Day, Antan, Baygon and Canesten.

Diagnostics ^[5] Bayer Diagnostics has developed the following systems:

• ADVIA® systems (Immunology, haematology, clinical chemistry, laboratory automation)
• Clinitek® devices (Urine analysis in physicians' offices)
• Glucometer® (Blood glucose meters range for diabetics)
• N-Neostix® (Urine test strips for home use)
• RapidpointTM/RapidlabTM (Blood gas and critical care analysis)
• VERSANTTM (Quantitation of HIV-1 and hepatitis B and C viruses)

Animal Health ^[6] Products include the anti-infective Baytril®, parasiticides such as Bayticol®, Bolfo® flea collars, Tiguvon® and Droncit®, as well as hygiene products. The latest developments from this division are the flea control product Advantage® for dogs and cats and marker vaccines for cattle and pigs.

Bayer CropScience

^[7] Bayer's CropScience business segment, including the Crop Protection business group, researches and develops new chemical crop protection agents to control diseases, pests and weeds in food crops. Such products include the fungicide Folicur®, the herbicides Goltix® and Sencor® and the insecticides Bulldock® and Baythroid®.^[8]

Bayer has greatly expanded its crop protection business with the acquisition of Aventis CropScience (ACS). The purchase agreement was signed in October 2001. The crop science activities will be organised as a separate legal entity named 'Bayer CropScience'. The business will cover all agrochemical activities as well as biotechnology and seeds.

Fungicides ^[9]

Bayer fungicides include:

• Tebuconazole Trademarks include Folicur®, Horizon®, Elite®, and Raxil®
• Triadimenol Trademarks include Bayfidan® and Baytan®
• Propineb Trademark: Antracol®
• Bitertanol Trademarks include Baycor® and Sibutol®
• Spiroxamine Trademarks include Impulse® and Prosper®
• Carpropamid Trademarks include Win®, Arcado®, Protega®, Solazas®, Seed-one®, Zabara®, Prowang®
• Dichlofluanid Trademark: Euparen®
• Pencycuron Trademark: Monceren® Fenhexamid
• Iprovalicarb Trademarks: Melody®, Positron®, Invento®
• Triadimenol Trademarks include Bayfidan® and Baytan®
• Trifloxystrobin Tradenames: Flint®, Stratego®, Compass®, Twist®
• Tolylfluanid Trademarks include Euparen® Multi, Euparen® M, Jinete®

Herbicides ^[10]

Bayer herbicides include:

• Fentrazamide Trademarks: INNOVA®, Lecspro®, Dongsimae®, Bai Tian Jing®
• Power by FOE - Flufenacet Trademarks Artist®, Aspect®, Axiom®, Bastille®, Cadou®, Diplome®, *Domain®, Drago®, Epic®, Herold®, Plateen® ,Terano® and Tiara®
• Flufenacet Trademarks include Artist®, Axiom®, Domain®, Epic®, Herold® and Terano®
• Flucarbazone - sodium Trademarks: Everest, Vulcano®
• Metamitron Trademark: Goltix®
• Metribuzin Trademarks: Sencor®, Sencoral®, and Sencorex®
• Mefenacet Trademarks: Hinochloa®, Rancho®, Zark®, Wolf ACe®
• Propoxycarbazone - sodium Trademarks: Attribut®, Olympus®

Insecticides ^[11]

Bayer insecticides include:

• Imidacloprid Trademarks include Gaucho®, Admire®, Confidor®, and Provado®
• Methamidophos Trademarks include Tamaron® and Monitor®
• Beta-Cyfluthrin & Cyfluthrin Trademarks include Bulldock®, Enduro®, Baythroid®, Tempo®
• Parathions Trademarks include E 605®, Folidol®, and Bladan®
• Oxydemeton - methyl Trademarks include Metasystox®
• Methiocarb Trademarks: Mesurol® flowable, Mesurol® slug pellets and Provada® garden spray
• Azinphos - methyl Trademarks: Gusathion® M, Guthion®
• Carbofuran Trademark Curaterr®
• Fenthion Trademark: Lebaycid ®Fenamiphos Trademark Nemacur®Thiacloprid Trademark Calypso®
• Disulfoton Trademark Disyston®

Crop Science Research & Development

Bayer's Agricultural Centre at Monheim, between Düsseldorf and Cologne, is one of the biggest research centres of its kind in the world. Here, research is carried out into methods and products in the field of crop protection.

Bayer and the Aventis CropScience purchase

In early October 2001 Bayer AG finally acquired Aventis CropScience at a cost of €7.25bn (£4.5bn)^[12], their largest single purchase ever. In so doing Bayer CropScience, as its new agriculture division will be known, have become the second largest agro-chemical and seed company in the world behind Syngenta. They have also become the leading company pushing forward the commercialisation of GM crops in the UK and Europe, and are just one of a few companies selling GM crops in the US, Canada and elsewhere in the world.

Aventis CropScience was formed in late 1999 by the merger of AgrEvo (itself a joint venture between the agricultural businesses of Hoechst and Schering) and the agricultural business of Rhone-Poulenc. At the time of the sale to Bayer, Aventis CropScience had a substantial portfolio of products including GM seeds (both herbicide tolerant and insect-resistant lines) and a range of agro-chemicals.^[13] Its 2000 sales were worth €4,034 million and it employed about 14,400 people in more than 120 countries worldwide.

Having shed its loss-making CropScience business (it is also currently in the process of selling off its Animal Nutrition business^[14]) Aventis is now concentrating on pharmaceuticals. It will, however, retain all future liability for damages claims made in relation to last year's (2000) Starlink GM contamination scandal.^[15] Aventis have already launched a huge advertising campaign to try to re-brand themselves as the squeaky clean, benevolent drugs company that will save the world (see the CW subvert on the back cover of the December 2001 edition of The Ecologist).

Despite considerable existing holdings in crop protection, until now Bayer has kept its distance from GM crops, preferring a more 'traditional' reliance on agro-chemicals. Its acquisition of Aventis CropScience has vastly enhanced Bayer's agricultural sector, particularly in herbicides and conventional and GM seeds. Bayer now owns over half of the GM crop varieties currently seeking approval for commercial growing in the EU. These include 9 varieties of oilseed rape and one variety of maize, all of which are modified to be tolerant to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium, or Liberty, also now owned by Bayer.^[16] Should the de facto EU moratorium on the commercial growing of GM crops be lifted, Bayer will be best placed to flood European fields with GM crops. In the UK Bayer will be responsible for the majority of GM field trials, including the controversial farm scale trials, during 2002.

The new Bayer CropScience will form one of Bayer's new independent corporate units. At the time of writing (late January 2002) it is uncertain quite how the new company will look. The European Commission has launched an enquiry into the CropScience purchase claiming that competition may be significantly reduced in the areas of insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and seed treatment products.^[17] Bayer may be forced to sell off certain areas of CropScience. Prior to the acquisition, BASF had expressed an interest in buying some, or all, of Aventis' insecticide business.^[18]

Although the composition of the management of the new company has recently been announced, it remains to be seen quite how Bayer's existing agricultural concerns will be merged with Aventis CropScience, and what the implications will be for shedding of infrastructure and job losses.^[19] Recent articles in the financial press suggest that the merging of the two agricultural businesses may result in 3, 000 job loses. ^[20] Likewise its strategy for expanding sales of GM crops is still unknown.

For more information on the company that was Aventis CropScience go to the Corporate Watch Aventis briefing at http://archive.corporatewatch.org/publications/GEBriefings/aventis1.html

Bayer Chemicals

^[21] The business segment Chemicals at Bayer includes the divisions Basic and Fine Chemicals, Speciality Products, as well as the subsidiary companies Haarmann & Reimer, H.C. Starck and since the fiscal year 2000 Wolff Walsrode.

Bayer will divest Haarmann & Reimer as part of their reorganisation process. You can find more information on Bayer's reorganisation process and the aforementioned subsidiaries in the Who, Where, How Much? section of this profile.

Basic and Fine Chemicals The production and marketing of basic and fine chemicals are among the core activities of the Bayer Group. The company is one of the world's leading suppliers of these products. Fine chemicals have a key role as precursors for pharmaceuticals, crop protection agents, plastics and electronic components. Recent developments include biodegradable substances for detergents and cleaning products and conductive polymers for electronics applications.

Specialty Products ^[22] The Specialty Products Business Group markets an extensive range of performance chemicals focussing on the specific requirements of Bayer's business partners and industries. The Speciality Products Business Group provides solutions to the paper, leather and textile industry.

The product range includes dyes for inkjet printing and many other applications, speciality chemicals for the agriculture and pharmaceutical industries, versatile high-grade biocides, polymer additives to give polymers the processing properties they need, and water treatment and ion exchange resins.

Haarmann & Reimer See Subsidiaries in the Who, Where, How Much? section of this profile.

H.C. Stark See Subsidiaries in the Who, Where, How Much? section of this profile.

Wolff Walsrode AG See Subsidiaries in the Who, Where, How Much? section of this profile.

Wolff Cellulosics ^[23] Wolff Cellulosics is the competence centre for cellulose chemistry within the Bayer Group. The cellulose derivatives are used as raw materials for printing inks and coatings and as additives for building materials.

Epurex Film ^[24] Epurex Film produces film solutions.

CaseTech ^[25] CaseTech produces sausage casings.

Walothen Company ^[26] Walothen Company is part of the Bayer Group as a subsidiary of Wolff Walsrode AG. The current Walothen Product Range covers the following fields of application: films for the tobacco industry; films for print lamination; overwrap films; films for metallization; and standard films.

Probis ^[27] Probis is the technical Service Company for all operational companies inside and outside the Industrial Park Walsrode. Probis deals with a wide range of services including logistics, finances, communication, engineering, energy, information-systems, and technical and medical services.

Bayer Polymers

^[28] Bayer's Polymers segment comprises five business groups: Plastics, Rubber, Polyurethanes, Coatings and Colorants, including the subsidiaries Bayer Faser GmbH (fibres).

Plastics ^[29] The Plastics Business Group supplies a broad range of engineering thermoplastics and high-tech semi-finished products to meet the differing requirements of a wide variety of industries.

Rubber ^[30] As a leading supplier of raw materials, Bayer claims to be among the most important partners to the rubber and tyre industry. The portfolio of the Rubber Business Group comprises synthetic rubber, rubber chemicals and modifiers for the plastics industry, along with special preparations and processing chemicals from Bayer subsidiary RheinChemie and latexes from PolymerLatex, a joint venture with Degussa-Hüls AG.

Polyurethanes ^[31] Bayer claims to be 'the market and technology leader in the field of polyurethanes'. The Polyurethanes Business Group (PU) supplies polyurethane raw materials and systems. The broad spectrum of applications for Bayer polyurethanes stretches from solid materials to foams with a wide range of properties.

Foam applications: furniture, mattresses, automotive components, textiles, packaging, technical articles, construction, refrigeration, appliances, technical insulation, sports equipment, automotive components, footwear, etc.

Bayer proudly declares that all the strategies of the Polyurethanes Business Group are based on the principles of Responsible Care. Responsible Care is a voluntary chemical industry initiative (see also section Influence and Lobbying).

Coatings and Colorants ^[32] This business group consolidates all products used as raw materials in coatings, sealants and adhesives and as colorants for plastics and construction materials.

Applications: automative coatings, industrial coatings, powder coatings, wood coatings, construction, corrosion protection, adhesives, colorants for plastics, textiles coatings, and specialities.^[33]

Bayer Faser GmbH (fibres) Bayer Faser GmbH is one of the leading fibre manufacturers in the world. Bayer fibres are used in all kinds of products - from clothing through carpets and home furnishings to fishing lines.

References

1. ^ See http://www.bayerhealthcare.com for further details on Bayer's Healthcare division
2. ^ A full list of the drugs produced by Bayer is available at http://www.pharma.bayer.com/en/products.html
3. ^ More details can be found at http://www.biological.com/
4. ^ More details can be found at http://www.consumercare.bayer.com/
5. ^ For more information see http://diagnostics.siemens.com/
6. ^ For further information see http://www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com/
7. ^ Bayer CropScience homepage at http://www.bayercropscience.com/
8. ^ http://www.bayercropscience.com/bayer/cropscience/cscms.nsf/id/AB3EE4553AF177BAC1256B73003328F1
9. ^ Further details on fungicides: http://www.bayercropscience.com/bayer/cropscience/cscms.nsf/id/Fungicides-products?open
10. ^ For more information on herbicides: http://www.bayercropscience.com/bayer/cropscience/cscms.nsf/id/Herbicide-products?open
11. ^ For further details on insecticides: http://www.bayercropscience.com/bayer/cropscience/cscms.nsf/id/Insecticides-products
12. ^ See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1574534.stm
13. ^ Bayer Acquires Aventis CropScience, Bayer Press Release, 2/10/01 http://www.biotech-info.net/bayer_aventis_final.html
14. ^ Aventis finds buyer for animal nutrition unit by David Firn, Financial Times 15/11/01
15. ^ Bayer to pay €7bn for Aventis by Bettina Wassener and Juliana Ratner, Financial Times 01/10/01
16. ^ Information from Genewatch online database http://www.genewatch.org/
17. ^ Reuters News Service 05/12/01
18. ^ Fallout from CropScience deal by David Firn, Financial Times 02/10/01 http://www.biotech-info.net/fallout.html
19. ^ Eastern Daily Press 04/10/01 p.21
20. ^ Bayer debuts in NY but with modest ambitions by Adrian Michaels, Financial Times 24/01/2002 http://search.ft.com/ftArticle?queryText=Bayer+debuts+in+NY+but+with+modest+ambitions&y=7&aje=true&x=15&id=020124007205
21. ^see http://www.bayerchemicals.com for further details on Bayer Chemicals
22. ^ For further information on Bayer speciality chemicals see: http://www.bayersp.com/
23. ^ For further details on Wolff-Cellulosics see: http://www.wolff-cellulosics.de/
24. ^ For further details on Epurex Films see: http://www.epurex.de/
25. ^ For further details on Case Tech see: http://www.casetech-walsroder.de/
26. ^ For further details on Walothen see: http://www.walothen.de/
27. ^ For more information on Probis see: http://www.wolffwalsrode.de/
28. ^ See http://www.bayermaterialsciencenafta.com/ for further details on Bayer Polymers
29. ^ More details on Bayer Plastics can be found at: http://plastics.bayer.com/
30. ^ More details on Bayer Rubber can be found at: http://www.bayerrubberone.com/
31. ^ For further details on Bayer polyurethanes : http://www.pu.bayer.com/
32. ^ For further details on Bayer Coatings and Colorants go to: http://www.bayer-ls.com/
33. ^ http://www.bayer-ls.com/ls/lswebcms.nsf/id/020000_EN