Bayer Celebrates 150 Years of Science for a Better Life

Bayer Canada marks Sesquicentennial by hosting global anniversary exhibit and honouring innovative Canadians from coast-to-coast

• Bayer celebrates 150 years of innovation with a retrospective exhibit showcasing many of the company's contributions to health, science and agriculture
• Bayer will honour a number of innovative Canadians who have made important contributions in these fields and who live by Bayer's mission: Science for a Better Life

TORONTO, April 2, 2013 /CNW/ - What started out as a small dyestuffs business in Germany in 1863, and best known for its pain-reliever, ASPIRIN ®, Bayer has grown into one of the world's largest global enterprises with more than 110,000 employees worldwide. This year, Bayer is proud to celebrate its 150^th anniversary as it embarks on a retrospective journey that looks at its long history of innovation.

Over the last 150 years, Bayer products have, and continue to, improve the quality of people's lives. Through a relentless focus on science and innovation, from some of the world's most trusted vitamin and pain-relief brands, to innovative blood glucose monitoring systems and products for areas of unmet medical need, Bayer products continue to improve the quality of people's lives. With approximately 1,300 employees working from coast-to-coast, Bayer supports Canada's reputation as a leader in innovation by driving domestic research and development (R&D) and the expansion of its health, crop and material sciences industries.

Over the decades, Bayer researchers have developed pioneering products and active substances to treat cardiovascular and infectious diseases, cancers and other complex illnesses. Today, pharmaceutical research at Bayer HealthCare primarily concentrates on the fields of women's health, diagnostic imaging, cardiology and specialty areas, such as hematology and oncology.

In Canada, more than 500 clinical studies have been conducted over the past ten years with an investment of more than $300 million. Over the next several years, Bayer plans to match this investment in Canadian research and development through its robust product pipeline and continued focus on innovation. There are currently 76 active trial sites across the country led by approximately 300 researchers, investigators and physicians.

Another focal point of Bayer research is agriculture and its success is based on innovation - not only chemical and biological crop protection products that offer sustainable solutions, but also in high-quality seed. In the last five years, Bayer CropScience has introduced 13 new crop protection products to Canadian farmers and has invested over $27 million in capital investments across the prairies.

In the area of high-performance materials, Bayer MaterialScience makes an important contribution to conserving fossil resources. Polyurethanes are used to insulate buildings and reduce the amount of energy used for heating and cooling, while lightweight materials help make cars lighter cutting their fuel consumption - both are examples of innovation in science that help all of us live better lives.

"At Bayer, we take pride in delivering on our mission of Science For A Better Life. We are excited to be celebrating our 150th anniversary and are looking forward to delivering a long future of further innovations in the vital areas of health, nutrition and material sciences for all Canadians," said Christian Lauterbach, President & CEO, Bayer Inc.

Science for a Better Life Exhibit
To celebrate this important milestone, Bayer is embarking on a retrospective look at a century-and-a-half of innovations through a global anniversary exhibit - Science for a Better Life. Bayer has combed through its rich history, pulling many interesting advancements to create a dynamic and interactive exhibition for the public, highlighting 21 key themes. The Science for a Better Life exhibit showcases examples of how the company has improved the quality of life for millions of people around the world through inventions and the development of its products.

Throughout 2013, the exhibit will travel around the world to approximately 30 sites in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia. As one of Bayer's top 10 markets worldwide, the Science for a Better Life exhibit will make a stop in Canada later this spring - one of only two North American stops. Members of the public are invited to visit the exhibit from Monday, May 27 through Wednesday, May 29 at the MaRS Centre (101 College Street) in Toronto, Ontario.

"The exhibit is a mobile museum, without the usual museum conventions - like the do-not-touch rule," said Lauterbach. "We want visitors to open their minds, roll up their sleeves and touch or try everything from microscopes to thermal imaging to digital games and more. This is a way to show Canadians real-life, hands-on examples of the many ways our people at Bayer turn science into better lives."

Honouring Innovative Canadians
Also in celebration of its 150^th anniversary, and specific to Canada-only, Bayer will honour a number of Canadians who have made a mark on society through science and innovation. Each honouree's work will represent important contributions to an area highlighted in the Science for a Better Life exhibit. The honourees will be announced at the beginning of May.

About Bayer in Canada
Bayer Inc. is a Canadian subsidiary of Bayer AG and the headquarters for its Canadian operations. Celebrating its 150^th anniversary in 2013, Bayer AG is an international research-based group with core businesses in healthcare, crop science and innovative materials committed to creating a better life for all through science. In Canada, Bayer operates its healthcare business - Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, Animal Health and Radiology & Interventional Medicine - from its headquarters in Toronto, ON and its cropscience business from Calgary, AB through Bayer CropScience Inc. Together, they improve quality of life for Canadians, through products that fight disease, protect crops and animals, and provide high-performance materials for numerous daily life uses. With approximately 1,300 employees across the country, in 2012, Bayer had consolidated sales of $1.6 billion and invested $28.5 million in research and development (R&D) in Canada. Globally, Bayer AG had total sales of 39.8 billion and invested 3 billion in R&D.

For more information about Bayer, please visit www.bayer.ca.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

SOURCE Bayer Canada Inc.