Bayer Reacts to Rising Demand for Popular Gastric Drug Ceremony in the Great Hall of the People with VIP guests
BEIJING, May 26 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare China officially launched the production of its popular antacid drug Talcid(R) with a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing. Bayer had invited nearly 200 guests from the medical sector to attend the production launch of Bayer’s popular antacid drug. Among the guests attending were Prof. Lin SanRen, Chief Director of the Chinese Society of Gastroentorology; Prof. Wang RuLong, Deputy Director of Chinese Clinical Pharmacological Base; Ms. Chen JiSheng, Board Chairman of BJ Pharmaceutical Group Corp; and Mr. Zhang HeYong Director of the China Nonprescription Medicines Association. Welcoming the guests was Dr. Jean-Luc Lowinski, Head of Bayer HealthCare in China. At the opening ceremony Dr. Lowinski noted that the local production ''illustrates further our commitment in China and our belief in the growing dynamic of Chinese pharmaceutical market.’'
Talcid(R) is an OTC drug that provides safe and fast relief from gastric pain. Reacting to increased demand from the local market, Bayer HealthCare has invested in local production of what is a popular drug in China. Since Talcid(R) launched in China in 1997, it has been distributed in 17 provinces to both hospitals and drugstores. Due to its safety and fast, effective action, it is popular amongst Chinese physicians and patients alike. The safety of Talcid(R) is based on its natural ingredients. Talcid(R) forms a crystalline lattice or grid structure to quickly neutralize acid and maintain the optimum pH environment for stomach care. It is the only antacid in the market that is reversible and selective in binding bile acid. At the same time, it has a mucosal protection function for the stomach. Its applications include:
-- Bile acid related disease -- Acute and chronic gastritis -- Gastric, intestinal ulcers -- Reflux oesophagitis -- Any discomfort related to gastric acid, e.g. stomachache, heartburn, etc. -- Gastric mucosal injure caused by NSAID medicines.
Talcid(R) will be produced by Bayer HealthCare Co., Ltd. at its state-of- the-art production facility in the Beijing Development Area (BDA) industrial zone. Constructed in the BDA area between 1995 and 1997 with an initial investment of 30 Mio US$, the plant was GMP certified by Chinese authorities in 1999. The investment in the new equipment for Talcid(R) production is 14.5 Mio. RMB, and about 20 new jobs will be created.
Bayer’s links with China go back to 1882, when it first began marketing dyes on the Chinese market. Today, Greater China is Bayer’s second largest single market in Asia, with sales of around EUR 1.1 billion in 2003, and the company employs some 2,700 people there. The People’s Republic of China is also one of Bayer’s main centers of global investment. Bayer is represented in Greater China by a total of 24 companies. 11 of them now have production facilities on stream in all business segments in which the company is active and local production accounts for an increasing proportion of sales. In the People’s Republic itself, Bayer currently has 16 companies, six of which are wholly owned subsidiaries.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to substantial differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.
For more information, please contact: Sally Geng, Corporate Communications, Bayer (China) Ltd., Beijing Tel: +86-10-6597-3181 x3039 Fax: +86-10-6597-3292 Email: sally.geng.sg@bayer-ag.de For more information on Bayer go to http://www.bayer.com/ .
For detailed information about Bayer HealthCare, visit the website http://www.bayerhealthcare.com/ .
Bayer HealthCare
CONTACT: Sally Geng, Corporate Communications of Bayer (China) Ltd.,+86-10-6597-3181 x3039, or fax, +86-10-6597-3292, or sally.geng.sg@bayer-ag.de
