2010–2022 Investing in the Future
2010
In June the Aspirin Social Award is presented for the first time. The award honors exemplary social projects in the health care sector.
Fifty years of successful family planning with the pill: this innovative contraceptive was first given regulatory approval in 1960. Till this day Bayer is a global market leader in the field of hormonal contraception.
2011
In February, Bayer starts up the „Dream Production“ pilot plant in Leverkusen to manufacture high-tech plastics using carbon dioxide.
2012
In March, Bayer receives approval from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for Eylea™, an eye medicine for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration.
2013
In 2013, Bayer celebrates the 150th anniversary of its foundation worldwide. The company sends an airship and anniversary exhibition around the world, celebrates with German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, serves a celebratory meal for 110,000 employees and carries the Bayer spirit to more than 50 countries through the anniversary song “A Better Life.”MORE
2014
Bayer strengthens its oncology business with the acquisition of Algeta in March. In October, Bayer acquires the consumer care business of US-based Merck & Co., Inc. and engages in a strategic pharma cooperation in the field of sGC modulators. Furthermore Bayer strengthens its Consumer Care business in November with the acquisition of Dihon Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. in China and Bayer HealthCare moves to a leading OTC position in this key growth country. In December Bayer CropScience acquires Land Management assets of DuPont Crop Protection in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The subgroup plays now a leading role in Industrial Vegetation Management.
2015
Bayer MaterialScience has been operating since 1 September under the name Covestro. The company is economically and legally independent, but initially remains a subsidiary of Bayer AG. On October 6, the Covestro AG made her debut on the stock market.
2016
In May Werner Baumann becomes the new CEO of Bayer AG. Baumann has been a member of the Board of Management since January 2010 and was most recently responsible for Strategy and Portfolio Management.
In September Bayer and Monsanto sign a binding merger agreement. This creates the legal framework for the acquisition of Monsanto for a cash price of U.S. dollars128 per share. Monsanto stockholders vote in favor of the merger at an extraordinary stockholders’ meeting in December. The transaction is subject to the customary closing conditions, including the required regulatory approvals.
2017
In November Bayer kicks off „leaps“. This new approach complements the existing R&D capabilities and aims to enable breakthrough innovations across healthcare and agriculture.
2018
Bayer concludes process to sell Covestro. Bayer AG now holds just 6.8 percent of Covestro shares to repay the exchangeable bond that matures in 2020. Bayer AG acquired these shares from Bayer Pension Trust, which now no longer holds any Covestro shares.
Bayer closes Monsanto acquisition. Shares in the U.S. company will no longer be traded on the New York Stock Exchange, with Bayer now the sole owner of Monsanto Company.
2019
In August, Bayer announces the sale of its Animal Health business for 7.6 billion U.S. dollars to the U.S.-based company Elanco Animal Health. The transaction is valued at 7.6 billion U.S. dollars consisting of 5.3 billion U.S. dollars in cash and 2.3 billion U.S. dollars in Elanco stock.
In September, the cancer drug Vitrakvi™ (Larotrectinib) becomes the first-ever tumor-agnostic treatment to be approved in Europe. Vitrakvi™ targets specific genetic mutations found across completely different types of cancer. It can therefore be used to treat different types of tumor.
In November, Bayer completes the sale of its stake in chemical park operator Currenta to funds managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA). Currenta is valued with a total enterprise value of 3.5 billion euros.
In December, Bayer announces that it will significantly step-up its sustainability efforts and sets ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030. Among other things, Bayer aims to become a carbon neutral company.
2020
Werner Wenning’s tenure as Chairman of the Supervisory Board comes to an end at the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting in April. He had been a member of the Board of Management and then of the Supervisory Board for over 20 years in total. “His departure also marks the end of an era at our company,” CEO Werner Baumann says. Professor Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann succeeds Wenning as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
Regarding the glyphosate litigation in the United States, Bayer in June reaches an agreement in principle with plaintiffs, without admission of liability, to settle most of the current claims.
Bayer acquires U.S. company Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio) in December and launches a new platform for cell and gene therapy within the Pharmaceuticals Division. Bayer is now among the leading companies in this rapidly expanding field.
Bayer launches Vitala™, a new short-stature corn variety, as part of a pilot project in Mexico. The shorter stalks make the corn more resilient to extreme weather events, and the new variety needs less land, nitrogen and water.
2021
Bayer strengthens its drug discovery platform through the acquisition of Vividion Therapeutics for 1.5 billion U.S. dollars. Vividion’s technology has already proven its applicability pre-clinically in oncology and immune-related diseases, and has the potential to expand into additional indications.
In November, Bayer and Microsoft enter into a strategic partnership. Together the two companies will develop new cloud-based digital platforms and solutions – it’s another big step toward the future of digital farming.
2022
In March, Bayer announces the sale of its Environmental Science Professional business to the international private equity firm Cinven. The transaction is completed in October – an important milestone in Bayer’s portfolio optimization efforts. The purchase price amounts to 2.6 billion U.S. dollars.