GERMANY – Bayer has presented the latest developments in the ongoing transformation of its pharmaceuticals business at its annual Pharma Media Day 2022, with the goal of delivering long-term, sustainable business growth by introducing new options for patients.

Bayer’s R&D pipeline continues to expand as the company builds on its existing competencies, such as small molecule expertise, while expanding into new modalities, such as cell and gene therapies.

The company is currently advancing approximately 50 projects in ongoing clinical trials across a variety of potential therapeutic modalities and indications, with a focus on oncology, cardiovascular, and women’s health.

Strong portfolio with robust late-stage development program

Bayer is delivering on its late-stage pipeline in cardiovascular disease, including the recent launches of Kerendia (finerenone) and Verquvo (vericiguat).

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease in type 2 diabetes. Bayer is making good on its late-stage pipeline, as evidenced by the recent launches of Kerendia and Verquvo

Bayer has the largest Phase III cardiorenal outcomes clinical trial program to evaluate the occurrence of kidney disease as well as fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events. Accordingly, it has a strong scientific and clinical foundation for finerenone in this field.

Finerenone was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the brand name Kerendia and was recently granted marketing authorization in the European Union.

Besides, Finerenone is being studied as a potential treatment for non-diabetic kidney disease in addition to its current indication in heart failure.

Bayer has also developed vericiguat, for treating symptomatic chronic heart failure, which is a devastating disease affecting more than 60 million people worldwide.

Vericiguat has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission and the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan among other countries.

Efforts in oncology and radio imaging

Bayer’s oncology and radiology efforts are centered on differentiated approaches that have the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment.

The company’s franchise in oncology includes two products on the market, namely, Nubeqa and Xofigo for the treatment of non-metastatic and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer respectively.

At the same time, the company continues to invest in areas that have the potential to address additional unmet needs in cancer.

The company recently acquired, a chemoproteomics technology platform from Vividion, to allow it unlock undruggable cancer targets, fueling its pipeline in the future.

Bayer is well-positioned in the rapidly expanding medical imaging artificial intelligence (AI) market.

The company combines long-standing expertise in radiology with a thorough understanding of the needs of patients and physicians across a wide range of diseases.

Bayer is working on a platform that will allow healthcare professionals to manage AI-enabled medical imaging and imaging workflow applications from a single location.

Shaping women’s reproductive health

Bayer is remaining true to its strong heritage of providing solutions to meet the needs of women at various stages of their lives, including menopause, which affects 47 million women globally at every turn of the year.

Elinzanetant, a non-hormonal development compound, is currently being studied for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms during menopause in the Phase III clinical development program OASIS.

In addition, Bayer has supported educational programs and rights-based family planning in more than 130 countries.

In 2019, Bayer pledged to provide 100 million women in low- and middle-income countries with access to family planning by 2030 to improve the health, rights and economic status of women around the world.

As part of this commitment, Bayer recently announced an investment of over €400 million (US$447.7 million) in new production facilities for long-acting reversible contraceptives, including the construction of a new production site in Alajuela, Costa Rica and the expansion of production capabilities in Turku, Finland.

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