High praise for the company’s success

“Bayer is somebody again in the pharmaceutical world.” That was how one stockholders’ representative summed up his praise for the company’s performance and the successfully ongoing integration of Schering during the discussion at the 55th Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Bayer AG, which was attended by some 5,000 people.

At the Annual Stockholders' Meeting, held at the Cologne Exhibition Center, Bayer CEO Werner Wenning reported to the approximately 5,000 visitors on the company's positive business performance.

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At the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting, held at the Cologne Exhibition Center, Bayer CEO Werner Wenning reported to the approximately 5,000 visitors on the company’s positive business performance.

Following words of welcome from Supervisory Board Chairman Dr. Manfred Schneider and the report by Management Board Chairman Werner Wenning, the Board of Management and Supervisory Board fielded questions from the participants. One topic featuring prominently in the discussion was the integration of Schering. According to Hans-Richard Schmitz from the German private investors’ association DSW, the company can now reap the fruits of the acquisition. “Since 2004 you have presented us with improved earnings and dividend increases with pleasing regularity,” Schmitz said, adding that Bayer stock has also far outperformed the German stock index DAX since the beginning of this year. The representative of the stockholders’ association SdK, Harald Petersen, also praised the Bayer Group’s strategy: “The Schering takeover was a courageous step. It looks as if all’s going well, and I hope things stay that way.”

Hans-Richard Schmitz from the German private investors' association DSW praised the company for its acquisition of Schering.

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Hans-Richard Schmitz from the German private investors’ association DSW praised the company for its acquisition of Schering.

Another attendee expressed gratitude for the performance of the stock, thanking all employees of the Group for their dedication and their achievements. “In light of the international trend, strengthening the Pharmaceuticals Division was exactly the right thing to do,” he declared.

During the discussion, which lasted several hours, Wenning explained that all the stages in the integration of Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany* has been reached as planned so far. “We will create an agile, international pharmaceutical company aligned toward specialties,” he said, emphasizing that Bayer will continue to focus on strengthening its HealthCare business. “The Schering acquisition has already made us the world’s sixth-leading supplier of drugs that are prescribed by specialist physicians. We plan to continue growing in this area.” He also indicated that Bayer is looking for worthwhile additions to its non-prescription medicines business in order to expand its presence in all regions and round out its product range.

A moving film provided impressive evidence of how the Bayer drug Nexavar® can help seriously ill patients.

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A moving film provided impressive evidence of how the Bayer drug Nexavar® can help seriously ill patients.

One candidate from Bayer’s research pipeline that Wenning said has special potential is the oral factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban for the prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation and the treatment of venous thromboembolism. The Bayer Chairman was also upbeat with regard to Nexavar®, a promising candidate in the company’s oncology pipeline. “If the ongoing clinical trials in liver cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer confirm our expectations, we could realize considerable market potential,” he said, adding that Nexavar® has already been registered in more than 50 countries to treat kidney cancer

The names "Bayer Schering Pharma" or "Schering" as used in this publication always refer to Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany, or its predecessor, Schering AG, Berlin, Germany, respectively.