$2.8 Billion ($20B total)
NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 60,700 (Bayer HealthCare total)

Bayer AG. It’s as ubiquitous a brand name in the consumer healthcare sector as Johnson & Johnson’s Band-Aid bandages or Tylenol. Though many pain-relievers now flood the market, Bayer aspirin, undoubtedly the venerable firm’s most recognizable product, has been in production since the 1890s—rebranded more recently as the “wonder drug” for what the company touts as its cardiovascular benefits, particularly during the onset of a heart attack. Sales of Bayer’s aspirin products—in its different forms—accounted for approximately $1.13 billion for the company’s HealthCare division in fiscal 2014 (ended Dec. 31), up about 2 percent in euros compared with 2013.

But the company’s HealthCare division—which is divided into Pharmaceutical and Consumer Heath (which includes Consumer Care, Animal Health and Medical Care) units—is built on much more than aspirin sales, which is bound to be a source of pain relief for executives with the Leverkusen, Germany-based conglomerate. A strong pharmaceutical portfolio drives performance at Bayer’s HealthCare division. Prescription medications such as the recently commercialized blood thinner Xarelto or Eylea, which is prescribed for wet age-related macular degeneration, macular edema, diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy, are the company’s current cash cows. Fiscal 2014 sales for Xarelto were up nearly 77 percent to 1.68 billion euros ($2.04 billion) in 2014, and Eylea revenue was up 128 percent to 759 million euros ($922.5 million).

In 2014, sales for the overall HealthCare division rose by 5.6 percent to 19.98 billion euros (approximately $24.3 billion), and made up the largest share (47 percent) of Bayer’s business. The growth, according to the company’s brass, was fueled by newly launched pharmaceutical products. Sales for the Consumer Health division came in “slightly ahead” of the prior year, officials reported.

The Pharmaceutical division brought in 12.1 billion euros ($14.7 billion), up 11.2 percent. The performance was driven by drug releases. Newly launched drugs Xarelto, Eylea, Stivarga, Xofig and Adempas, posted combined sales of 2.91 billion euros ($3.54 billion). The largest growth sectors globally were China, the United States and Western Europe. Sales for the Consumer Health segment advanced by 2.1 percent to 7.92 million euros ($9.63 billion). The Consumer Care and Animal Health divisions achieved sales gains, especially in emerging markets. Sales for the Medical Care division declined—particularly in the United States and Europe, company officials noted.

Sales of the Medical Care division, where the company’s medical device technology is categorized, fell by 3.7 percent to 2.36 million euros (approximately $2.87 billion). Sales of the Diabetes Care business declined overall despite positive growth in emerging markets. Sales of the Contour line of blood glucose meters were off 8.9 percent down to 658 million euros ($800 million), especially in the United States, “due to reimbursement pressure and price decreases, mainly in the first half of the year,” Bayer officials said. Sales of contrast agents and medical equipment in the firm’s radiology business were flat with the prior-year period on a currency-adjusted basis.

The big news for Bayer’s HealthCare division was a sizeable purchase to beef up its over-the-counter (OTC) drug offerings. On Oct. 1, Bayer completed the acquisition of the consumer care business of the U.S. pharmaceuticals group Merck & Co. Inc. (Whitehouse Station, N.J.). The purchase price was $14.2 billion.

“This acquisition is a milestone for Bayer and we intend to continue the expansion of our attractive over-the-counter business both through organic growth and bolt-on acquisitions,” said Bayer CEO Marijn Dekkers.

The combined consumer care business is headed by Erica Mann, member of the Bayer HealthCare Executive Committee and responsible for the Consumer Care division.

The acquisition will give Bayer the global number two position in non-prescription medication—behind the combined OTC businesses of Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline, following the completion of their announced joint venture in 2015, and ahead of the world’s previous industry leader Johnson & Johnson.

The consumer care business acquired from Merck primarily comprises products in the cold, allergy, sinus and flu; dermatology (including sun care); foot health; and gastrointestinal categories. The most important brands are Claritin (allergy), Coppertone (sun care), MiraLAX (gastrointestinal), Afrin (cold) and—in North and Latin America—Dr. Scholl’s (foot care). These brands complement Bayer’s existing OTC portfolio, which includes brands such as aspirin and Aleve, One A Day vitamins, and cough-and-cold products such as Alka-Seltzer Plus.

On the medical device side, Bayer was more in more of a mood to divest than to acquire. Late in 2014, rumors began to swirl that the company was looking to sell is diabetes care business. In June this year, it was announced that Panasonic Healthcare Holdings would by the diabetes care business for 1.02 billion euros, about $1.15 billion.

The Diabetes Care business of Bayer HealthCare makes blood glucose monitoring systems, lancing devices and diabetes management software. The sale will include the leading Contour portfolio of blood glucose monitoring meters and strips, as well as other products such as Breeze 2, Elite and Microlet lancing devices.

Bayer Diabetes Care, has marketed and sold products manufactured by Panasonic Healthcare for decades and is the exclusive sales and distribution partner for Panasonic’s Contour Next line of products. Tokyo, Japan-based Panasonic Healthcare was spun off from the Panasonic Corporation in 2014 and is owned 80 percent by the New York, N.Y.-based private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and 20 percent owned by Panasonic.

“Since first taking steps to becoming an independent healthcare company from Panasonic Corporation through KKR’s investment, it has been our key management objective to form strong partnerships with strategically pivotal companies,” Kenji Yamane, the Panasonic Healthcare president, said in a news release. “For more than 20 years, BDC (Bayer Diabetes Care) has been our flagship partnership with whom we share complementary goals.”

“We are confident that the sale of our Diabetes Care business to our long-standing partner Panasonic Healthcare, with the strong backing of KKR, will support the long-term sustainability of this portfolio,” said Werner Baumann, member of the board of management of Bayer and CEO of Bayer HealthCare.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016 and is subject to regulatory approval.

Diabetes technology wasn’t the only device-related business on the chopping block.

In 2014, Marlborough, Mass.-based Boston Scientific Corp. bought the interventional device division at Bayer AG for $415 million in a move that will expand the medical device maker’s portfolio of coronary and peripheral vascular disease treatment technologies.

The sale gave Boston Scientific the rights to AngioJet, a thrombectomy device; JetStream, an atherectomy technology; and Fetch 2, an aspiration catheter. Bayer Interventional became part of the existing Boston Scientific Peripheral Interventions business.

“The addition of Bayer Interventional will expand our commercial footprint and enhance our ability to provide physicians and healthcare systems with a complete portfolio of solutions to treat challenging vascular conditions,” said Jeff Mirviss, president, Peripheral Interventions, Boston Scientific. “We believe this acquisition will accelerate the growth of our Peripheral Interventions business and strengthen our position as a global leader in peripheral therapies.”

Though not part of the company’s HealthCare unit, Bayer’s MaterialScience division released in 2014 in the United States a polyurethane-based adhesive based on its BaymedixA raw material.

Targeted for skin adherence in wound care and biosensor applications, the product is touted as a “skin-friendly” adhesive that offers adjustable adhesive strengths, hydroselectivity and gentle removal that is comparable to silicone adhesives. Additionally, BaymedixA raw material offers high breathability and is compatible with common sterilization technologies.

Bayer’s range of materials for the wound care market includes polyurethane raw materials for wound dressings and thermoplastic films engineered for protective coverings.

Bayer recently unveiled an aliphatic polyurethane foam based on wwBaymedix FP reactive foam technology. This raw material enables the production of “very smooth and conformable foams that are non-yellowing. They maintain their white color over time. With high absorption rates and great fluid retention capability, these foams fit the moisture management requirements of advanced wound dressings very well,” according to company officials. The films, made from thermoplastic polyurethane, are made for use as soft, thin-film protective coverings that control water vapor transmission and are highly flexible, with a matte surface. This ensures comfortable wear and unobtrusive wound coverage. The company manufactures high-tech polymer materials; the main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure.

Bayer AG is divided into three independently managed units: HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience. Bayer’s total revenue for fiscal 2014 was 42.2 billion euros ($51.3 billion), up from 40.1 billion euros in 2013. A total of 302 companies were fully consolidated under the Bayer corporate umbrella in 2014. North America is the company’s largest overall market, accounting for 10.25 billion euros ($12.46 billion) in 2014.

$3.48 Billion
NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 56,000 (110,000 total)

Pietro Currado can still remember his son’s foray into literacy.

Currado, a Bayer AG pharmaceutical salesman in Calabria, Italy, had just returned home from a business trip in the early 1990s when his wife approached him with some big news: Their preschool-age son, Damiano (now studying medicine in college), had written his first word.

Naturally, Currado assumed the boy had written “mommy” or “Dad” (thinking the latter was a much easier word for unschooled youngsters to master). But Damiano chose neither parent for his cuneiform debut.

He went with a much more familiar word: Bayer.

“He [Damy] had copied it from the many information leaflets all around the house. At the time, we were launching an antibiotic. My house was full of paper, books, notebooks, pens, gadgets of all shapes with the new product—and always with the Bayer logo,” Currado wrote. “Bayer was present all around the house. By seeing so much of it my child had memorialized it so well. In the following days he filled entire sheets with the name, partly because he was amused by the fact that everyone was intrigued by this.”

Currado’s fond memory of his first-born’s written milestone was just one of 1,200 Bayer-related anecdotes employees shared to celebrate the multinational’s 150th anniversary last year. The event was truly a global affair, with commemorative activities that ranged from a worldwide airship tour (displaying the iconic Bayer cross) and art exhibit (featuring 240 of the company’s 2,000 works) to a scientific symposium; a German postage stamp; an interactive, multimedia exhibition focused on healthcare, agriculture and high-performance materials; a scientific symposium; a 30,000-guest party featuring acrobats, comedians and a human Bayer cross; and even a pop song (“A Better Life”).

Though they were left off the official invitation list, customers nevertheless paid their respects to the company with a gift of record revenues and potent stock growth. 2013 sales rose 2.7 percent to 40.1 billion euros ($55.2 billion) and core earnings per share jumped 5.8 percent to 5.61 euros ($7.72), according to Bayer’s latest annual report.

Gross profit increased 4.7 percent to 20.8 billion euros ($28.6 billion) and EBIT surged 30.5 percent to 4.9 billion euros ($6.8 billion). Net income was up significantly as well, skyrocketing 34.3 percent past its 2012 gross to 3.1 billion euros, or $4.3 billion.

Bayer CEO and Board Chairman Marijn Dekkers, Ph.D., attributed his company’s stellar anniversary year financial performance to robust growth in the HealthCare and CropScience subgroups. Net HealthCare sales climbed 6.1 percent to 18.9 billion euros ($26 billion) due to several acquisitions and solid growth in most world regions. Europe was the top money-maker, garnering an additional 10.5 percent in sales for Bayer in 2013. North America came next, adding 5 billion euros ($6.9 billion) to company coffers, a 6.1 percent increase compared with 2012. Asia Pacific brought up the rear with a 3.6 increase, offsetting flat sales in the Latin America/Africa/Middle East region.

Influential acquisitions included the $1.1 billion purchase of Conceptus Inc., the buyout of herbal medicines maker Steigerwald Arzneimettelwerk GmbH, and the $2.8 billion takeover of Norwegian cancer drug maker Algeta ASA, which strengthens Bayer’s oncology business and gives the firm full control of Xofigo, a prostate cancer therapy drug estimated to generate more than 5.5 billion euros annually.

The Steigerwald agreement broadens Bayer’s product offerings for gastrointestinal disorders, while the Conceptus partnership complements the company’s offerings in women’s health.

U.S. regulators approved the Conceptus device in 2002. Its pair of flexible metal and fiber coils provides permanent contraception, similar to tubal ligation but requires neither surgery nor general anesthesia. A doctor inserts the coils through the vagina and uterus in a 10-minute procedure. Once in place, the devices elicit tissue growth that block the fallopian tubes within a few months, preventing sperm from reaching an egg. More than 750,000 women have undergone the procedure, according to Conceptus.

“Conceptus truly has a unique proposition in the women’s health-care arena with the Essure technology,” Stephens Inc. analyst Chris Cooley told Bloomberg when the deal was announced. “As different methodologies of birth control become increasingly available, it’s likely to receive greater use.”

New drug launches also contributed to the overall success of Bayer’s HealthCare subgroup, specifically the anticoagulant Xarelto for stroke and thrombosis prophylaxis; Eylea for age-related macular degeneration and macular edema; Stivarga for advanced metastatic colorectal cancer; Xofigo for bone metastases in prostate cancer; and Adempas for pulmonary hypertension. The drug quintuple grossed 1.5 billion euros ($2 billion) for the HealthCare subgroup in 2013 (year ended Dec. 31) and helped boost Pharmaceutical segment revenues 8.4 percent to 11.1 billion euros ($15.4 billion). Drug sales were strong worldwide, with the most growth occurring in North America, where proceeds increased 12.9 percent to 2.5 billion euros ($3.5 billion). A 2 percent shortfall in Latin America/Africa/Middle East revenue easily was offset by a 10.4 percent sales jump in Europe and a 7.9 percent increase in Asia Pacific earnings.

The Consumer Health segment grew sales 2.9 percent to 7.7 billion euros, or $10.6 billion due to solid gains in the Consumer Care and Animal Health divisions (expanding 7.4 percent and 5.8 percent respectively) as well as higher product demand in emerging markets, particularly in Brazil and Russia. Earnings jumped 21.4 percent to 1.2 billion euros, or $1.7 billion.

Medical Care division sales fell slightly (0.5 percent) to 2.5 billion euros, or $2.48 billion. Executives blamed the division’s weak performance on reimbursement pressures and lower prices in the United States, though the setback was partly offset by sales gains for the company’s Contour blood glucose meter line. Stable sales of contrast agents and medical devices in the Radiology & Interventional business also helped.

$3.51 Billion
NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 55,300 (110,500 total)

“The world of molecules—our passion is to understand and harness them…”
— Bayer AG corporate video

There’s one at every party. Bayer AG executives had barely started planning the company’s 150th anniversary fete last year when the first gifts and guests arrived—unfashionably early. Leading the mob of initial well-wishers was former Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the first human to successfully work in space (during extra-vehicular activity) and the second person to walk on the moon. His gift to the multinational? A testimonial to the most ubiquitous of Bayer products, which bigwigs used in a celebratory corporate video marking the sesquicentennial of its creation.

“We were human eyes looking from the surface of another object and…just inside it gave a different feeling of the fragility of what we were looking at on earth,” Aldrin said in the video, posted earlier this year to the company’s website. “We didn’t really know whether the technology, the materials could stand the extreme condition of outer space. Even the astronauts who were going to be exposed to these extreme conditions for the entire mission, but we knew we had aspirin on board and that was one thing we could count on.”

Dependability has been a cornerstone of Bayer’s corporate philosophy virtually since its Aug. 1, 1863, founding by German businessman Friedrich Bayer and dyer Johann Friedrich Weskott. Throughout its history, the pharmaceutical/chemical giant has tempered that trust with science to develop products that improve the quality of life both here on terra firma and in the heavens.
Last year, that mix gave new hope to those suffering from wet age-related macular degeneration, advanced colorectal cancer and high blood pressure. It also produced a most apropos (albeit early) anniversary gift of record sales and potent stock growth: Revenue jumped 8.8 percent to 39.8 billion euros ($52.5 billion) and per-share dividend value swelled 15.2 percent to 1.90 euros ($2.51). Net income was flat at 2.4 billion euros ($3.2 billion) but EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) climbed 8.8 percent to 8.3 billion euros ($10.9 billion), thanks largely to positive foreign exchange rates.

All three reporting subgroups contributed to the pre-anniversary surprise, with HealthCare chipping in 18.6 billion euros ($24.6 billion), or nearly half the ante. HealthCare revenue rose 4.2 percent compared with 2011, buoyed by an 8.2 percent surge in emerging market revenue. China posted the largest gain for the subgroup, but Latin America and eastern Europe proved lucrative as well. Overall Asia/Pacific HealthCare proceeds jumped 15 percent to 4.2 billion euros ($5.5 billion), while Latin America/Africa/Middle East sales climbed 6.7 percent to 2.9 billion euros ($3.9 billion).

“The rapid growth of our business in the BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India and China—continued, with sales rising well over 10 percent in some cases,” Bayer CEO and Management Board Chairman Marijn Dekkers, Ph.D., told shareholders in the company’s 2012 annual report. “That means our investments there, especially for marketing our products and building our workforce, are paying off.”

Bayer’s emerging market fixation paid off particularly well for its Consumer Health segment, which grew sales 8.2 percent due to strong performances from its Consumer Care and Medical Care divisions. The latter unit overcame worldwide pricing and reimbursement pressures to garner 2.6 million euros ($3.5 billion) in sales last year, a 6.2 percent increase compared with 2011. Executives attributed the sales growth to robust demand for Contour blood glucose monitors (including the new Contour Next model) and magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents Gadovist and Gadavist. Both product lines experienced double-digit revenue growth in 2012 (year ended Dec. 31), with Contour device sales ballooning 12.8 percent to 722 million euros ($954 million) and Gadovist/Gadavist proceeds skyrocketing 30.6 percent to 209 million euros ($276.1 million).

Fueling the growth in Contour product sales was a study released last year that proved the XT model exceeds the accuracy requirements established by ISO 15197:2003 section 7. Designed to work exclusively with Contour Next strips, the XT meter incorporates technology that evaluates a single sample seven times for accuracy and individualized blood glucose target ranges. The XT device also provides users with a choice of functions for their individual needs: level 1 testing for those requiring only basic testing and accuracy, and level 2 testing for patients who want more data and a detailed analysis of their results. Information gleaned from level 2 testing can help patients better understand the ways food can affect their blood sugar levels.

Also stoking the gains in Contour device sales was the “Excellence across Borders” program Bayer launched last April in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The initiative is designed to improve diabetes care by building a central network of experts in Middle Eastern, North African and European countries where the disease is most prevalent. Though extensive knowledge exists on managing the disease, some countries do not benefit from current options, the company noted.

“Different political and economic systems as well as cultural habits influence patients’ behavior and affect the individual therapy outcome,” Gerd-Walter Rohm, expert in diabetes care for the EMEA (Eastern Europe/Middle East/Africa) region at Bayer HealthCare, said at the program’s debut. “Sharing best practices will be the basis for a successful therapy and disease prevention in the future.”

The program’s first symposium addressed the roles obesity and lifestyle play in diabetes management, disease prevention, early detection and successful blood glucose monitoring. Participating countries included Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE, where diabetes prevalence rates are as high as 23 percent.

$3.2 Billion ($47.2B total)
NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 55,700 (Bayer HealthCare total)

As is the case with many companies on MPO’s Top 30 list, Bayer is a diverse multinational conglomerate, making everything from the ubiquitous Bayer aspirin in the familiar little yellow bottles to complex pharmaceuticals, as well as cotton used in your favorite pair of blue jeans and polyurethane raw materials are used in customized applications from car dashboards and athletic shoes.

In total, the company had $47.2 billion in sales. The healthcare sector of the company brought in $22 billion (47 percent of the companies revenue), which included pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare sales, but device-related businesses, part of the Medical Care division, were responsible for a small fraction of that—a total of nearly $3.2 billion (2.5 billion euros), mainly comprising blood glucose monitoring technology. Blood glucose monitoring devices include the single-strip Contour system and the multi-strip Breeze system. The company also sells the Contour USB meter, which features integrated diabetes management software and direct plug-in to computers, and the A1CNow system for determining long-term blood glucose control (A1c). Most of the meters are produced by various contract manufacturing partners. Device-related businesses also include the injection systems used in contrast agent injection systems for diagnostic and therapeutic medical procedures in computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and molecular imaging. During fiscal 2011, to strengthen its position in the diagnostic market, the company combined its diagnostic imaging business—formerly part of the Pharmaceuticals division—and its medical equipment business to form a new Radiology and Interventional business unit. The company’s Medrad division makes mechanical systems for removing blood clots from blood vessels—a sector into which Bayer has continued to invest. Medrad makes fluid injection systems for radiology and cardiology, endovascular devices for the safe treatment of cardiovascular disease, magnetic resonance-compatible accessories and provides equipment services.

Sales of the Medical Care division rose by 2.4 percent (through currency and company-reported “portfolio adjustments”). The Diabetes Care business grew, driven by the Contour line of blood glucose meters, according to the company. Sales of these systems rose in all regions, with Europe driving most of the growth—where the company profited from increased demand and new product introductions, particularly in Germany and the United Kingdom.

In September 2011, Warrendale, Pa.-based Medrad purchased Pathway Medical Technologies, Inc. to bolster its portfolio of vascular intervention technology. The purchase price was approximately $125 million, according to unconfirmed industry reports. Officially, details of the deal were not disclosed.
Kirkland, Wash.-based Pathway manufacturers products to mechanically remove arterial plaque. The company’s products clear out blockages in the leg, also known as peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
Pathway’s Jetstream devices, for example, allow for a minimally invasive procedure designed to restore circulation in the peripheral arteries by reducing vascular narrowing caused by plaque. With differential cutting, Jetstream products are designed to remove plaque without harming healthy tissue.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more than 12 million people in the United States alone are estimated to have some form of PAD.

“The combination of Medrad and Pathway Medical Technologies underscores our strategic commitment to the treatment of patients in the growing interventional field,” Dr. Jorg Reinhardt, chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer HealthCare, said at the time the deal was announced.
“Pathway’s products complement Medrad Interventional’s current and future portfolio including our injectors, thrombectomy devices and the Cotavance paclitaxel coated balloon catheter with Paccocath technology and will enable us to extend value to customers and patients through broader product options to diagnose and treat PAD.”

Going forward, according to HealthCare division leadership, the company plans to pursue “attractive segments” such as medical data management tools for contrast injection systems and drug-coated balloon catheters to treat vascular disease.

In early September 2011, Medrad received CE Mark for its next generation Cotavance paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty catheter with Paccocath technology. The Cotavance balloon catheter is designed to incorporate innovations that include an improved paclitaxel coating process for controlled drug dosing and a new catheter platform with a full range of catheter sizes. The Cotavance balloon catheter is used in percutaneous interventions for the treatment of PAD and is approved for balloon dilation of stenotic lesions in the iliac and infrainguinal arteries while applying paclitaxel to the vessel wall to inhibit restenosis. The company is moving forward with the Investigational Device Exemption process as one of the steps in gaining FDA approval for Cotavance in the United States. Paccocath technology is a proprietary drug matrix applied to the balloon of an angioplasty catheter. The matrix consists of paclitaxel, long used in drug-eluting stents to treat cardiovascular disease, and Ultravist 370, a radiologic contrast agent. When the balloon is inflated to dilate the narrowed vessel, paclitaxel is delivered directly to the diseased area. Bayer Pharma AG is the owner of the Paccocath technology.

Medrad began fiscal 2011 with new management. Jack Darby joined the company as vice president of Medrad Interventional. Darby will act as general manager of the diagnostic and therapeutic lines of the business on a global scale, and also will join Medrad’s executive leadership team. He has 20 years of experience in the medical device industry, with most of those years in the interventional cardiology space. Darby previously served as senior vice president of Global Marketing and Distributor Sales at AGA Medical Corporation. Prior to AGA, he spent more than 15 years at Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson company, starting as an angiographic sales representative.

“Jack’s broad base of experience in the interventional space and combination drug-device products will greatly complement our patient-focused goals for the interventional business,” said Medrad President and CEO Sam Liang. “With the support of his leadership, we plan to extend our product innovation and customer satisfaction footprint within this growing, global market.”

For 2012, the company kicked off the new year with expansion in the medical device space. In January, Bayer HealthCare opened a new, expanded facility for the Interventional franchise within its Medical Care’s Radiology and Interventional business. Located at its Coon Rapids, Minn., headquarters site, the new facility features research and development laboratories as well as manufacturing clean rooms. The Interventional franchise discovers, markets and manufactures therapeutic medical devices for the treatment of vascular occlusions. The expansion nearly doubles the company’s infrastructure in Minnesota, home of its Interventional franchise, and provides room for future growth in cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease device lines.

The new building comprises roughly 80,000 square feet of space. Scientists and research technicians now are working in new laboratory space and the company plans to use new clean rooms to expand production of the Cotavance drug-eluting balloon.

“This facility embodies the spirit of Bayer’s mission—‘Science for a Better Life’—through design that encourages employees to collaborate on new product ideas and work efficiently to manufacture interventional devices that provide physicians with less-invasive solutions—alternatives to surgery—for a growing number of medical conditions,” said Darby.

The facility employs approximately 225 people.