Online Encyclopedia
Bayer AG
Bayer AG is a German chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in 1863. It is headquartered in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
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About Bayer AG
In order to separate operational and strategic management Bayer AG was reorganized into a holding company in December 2003. The groups core businesses were transformed into limited companies, each controlled by Bayer AG. These companies are: Bayer CropScience AG; Bayer HealthCare AG; Bayer Material Science AG and Bayer Chemicals AG and the three service companies Bayer Technology Services GmbH, Bayer Business Services GmbH and Bayer Industry Services GmbH & Co. OHG.
Following Bayer's successful reorganization, its chemicals activities (with the exception of H.C. Starck and Wolff Walsrode) have been combined with certain components of the polymers segment to form the new company LANXESS. This change took place on July 1, 2004, with LANXESS to be listed on the stock exchange by the beginning of 2005.
Bayer AG shares are listed on XETRA in Germany, LSE in the United Kingdom and on NYSE in the United States.
History
Bayer became part of IG Farben, a conglomerate of German chemical industries that emerged during World War I. When the Allies split IG Farben after World War II for involvement in several war crimes, Bayer reappeared as an individual business.
They have discovered, among others:
- Aspirin — a mild pain reliever
- Heroin — a strong pain reliever
- Mustard gas — a blistering chemical weapon
- Tabun — a nerve gas
- Ciprofloxacin — an antibiotic
Bayer Cropscience
In 2002 Bayer AG acquired Aventis CropScience and formed Bayer CropScience. The company is now one of the world's leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. In addition to conventional agrochemical business it is involved in genetic engineering of food.
Pesticide harm to bees
Bayer AG is involved in an ongoing controversy with French and Nova Scotian beekeepers over claimed pesticide kills of honeybees from its seed treatment insecticide Gaucho. France has since issued a provisional ban on the use of Gaucho for corn seed treatment pending further action. A consortium of U.S. beekeepers has also filed a civil suit against Bayer CropScience for alleged losses.
See also:
External links
- http://www.bayer.com/
- http://www.bayercropscience.com/