Shanghai, November 10, 2024 — The 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) concluded successfully today. Bayer, a global leader in life sciences, participated for the seventh consecutive year with its three divisions: Pharmaceuticals (and Radiology), Consumer Health, and Crop Science, underscoring its ongoing commitment to the event. For the third time, Bayer exhibited in two subsections, setting a new record for total booth space. Through about 30 new product launches, strategic partnership ceremonies, and health education events, Bayer accelerated the introduction of innovative products to benefit the Chinese population, while strengthening local collaborations to deepen its commitment to China. Additionally, Bayer has already signed up for the 8th CIIE, pledging to continue its collaboration with partners to co-create a healthier and brighter future via the platform.
“As a long-standing participant in the CIIE for seven consecutive years, Bayer holds great respect and deep affection for this event. CIIE serves not only as a crucial window for showcasing China’s openness to the world but also as a platform for Bayer to exhibit its innovation strengths and broaden international collaboration,” said Zhou Xiaolan, Executive Vice President of Pharmaceuticals Division of Bayer AG, President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals China, President of Bayer Greater China. “Guided by our bold mission of ‘Health for All, Hunger for None’, Bayer, as an innovative life sciences company, will continue to actively pursue breakthroughs and innovations, striving to make a positive impact on humanity and our planet.”
Gathering Innovation Fruits with Dazzling Debuts
CIIE is a vast platform that brings together a multitude of global new products, technologies, and services. This year, over 400 notable new products, technologies, and services were showcased, empowering the development of new quality productive forces. Bayer also featured impressive exhibits, spanning from products launched for the first time in China to those making their debut at the CIIE.
In Pharmaceuticals, Bayer has made significant strides with several innovative products, which were showcased at the CIIE. Remarkable achievements include a breakthrough of Kerendia® (finerenone) in heart failure clinical trial, the release of Phase III ARANOTE trial results for Nubeqa® that could broaden the use of NUBEQA as a treatment option for more patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, the inclusion of Verquvo® (vericiguat) into China's National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), the relaunch of Bayaspirin® in a new, larger package. Eylea™ 8mg in the field of Ophthalmology also showed up at the 7th CIIE after its approval in EU. It successfully achieves sustained disease control with extended treatment intervals for the vast majority of patients. This will help reduce the burden of disease on patients and improve treatment adherence. Additionally, Bayer's new targeted therapy for lung cancer, BAY 2927088, received a Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. FDA in February and Breakthrough Therapy Designation from China's CDE in June of this year.
In the field of Radiology, the MEDRAD® Centargo CT Injection System showcased its comprehensive advantages of “intelligent, efficient, fast, accurate, and stable,” further cementing Bayer's leading position in the industry.
Bayer Consumer Health presented a diverse portfolio across nine categories at the CIIE. Among them, three “CIIE Babies”—Kangwang® Minoxidil Liniment, Kangwang® Anti-Dandruff Shampoo, and Canesten® Lactic Acid Vaginal Gel—along with two “CIIE debuts”—One A Day® Late-night Heart and Liver and One A Day® High Purity Fish Oil—were unveiled, addressing the growing demand for refined health management solutions among Chinese consumers in areas such as scalp health, women's intimate health, and nutritional supplements.
This year, Bayer Crop Science featured an interactive sandbox to showcase several key innovations, including Drone Plus™ - One-Stop Crop Protection Drone Application Service Platform, Roundup®, as well as the Bayer Lingfeng Program and the Root2Success™ brand, both presented for the first time at the CIIE. These exhibits allowed attendees to engage directly with Bayer's innovative, efficient, and sustainable “farmer-centered” solutions. In addition, five new corn varieties made their China debut, while CropKey, a new Crop Protection Discovery Approach, made its CIIE debut, fully highlighting Bayer's pioneering role in seed and crop protection innovation.
Fostering Innovation through Research Collaboration
In recent years, many companies have come to recognize the growing importance of establishing co-research platforms to promote industry collaboration, share research resources, and cultivate innovative talent, all of which are essential for driving breakthroughs. At this year’s CIIE, Bayer actively sought to explore new collaborative models with research institutions, aiming to advance academic research and contribute to high-quality development.
In Pharmaceuticals, the awarding ceremony of Council Membership of Hainan Lecheng Institute of Real World Research was held at the Bayer booth of CIIE, marking that Bayer has officially become the member of Hainan Lecheng Institute of Real World Research. The two sides will rely on the policies of Hainan Free Trade Port and Lecheng Pilot Zone, give play to their respective resource advantages, carry out comprehensive and in-depth cooperation, and promote the development of Lecheng Real world research.
Bayer has long been committed to research in oncology. The 7th CIIE witnessed the "milestone" achievements of Bayer's previous collaborations and marked the beginning of new partnerships, bringing renewed hope for cancer patients in China and around the world.
Gastrointestinal cancers, particularly liver cancer, have always been Bayer's area of expertise. During the CIIE, Bayer successfully hosted a series of liver cancer-related events, including the Liver Cancer Prevention and Control System Action Results Conference, the Launch Conference for the Expert Consensus on Standardized Treatment after First-Line Drug Resistance in Primary Liver Cancer, and the Celebration for the Completion of Data Collection Phase in CHANCE012, the Largest Sample Size Study of Stivarga in China. These events showcased the latest progress and key achievements in liver cancer prevention and treatment. Notably, the Expert Consensus on Standardized Treatment after First-Line Drug Resistance in Primary Liver Cancer is China's first expert consensus focused on treatment after first-line drug resistance in liver cancer, and CHANCE012 is a multi-center, retrospective real-world study conducted in China to evaluate the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with Regorafenib. These initiatives will significantly contribute to the high-quality development of cancer prevention and treatment in China and the implementation of the "Healthy China 2030" strategy.
Bringing Together Expertise to Foster Ecological Prosperity and Drive the Application of Innovations
By bringing together innovative elements, ecosystems create organically collaborative networks that generate synergies, making the sum of the parts greater than the individual components, and effectively shortening the time it takes for results to be translated into real-world applications. This year, Bayer continued to invest in the development of ecosystems across various fields, contributing valuable experience to global technological innovation.
As women's social status rises and economic independence grows, their health needs have evolved from single-disease treatment to a broader focus on health and wellness. In response, at the CIIE, Bayer Pharmaceuticals announced its collaboration with a variety of cross-sector partners—from medical institutions and healthcare providers to digital and internet companies—to co-create a Women Healthcare Ecosystem. This ecosystem aims to strengthen the connections between medical and research institutions and the healthcare industry, working together toward a healthier and brighter future for HER future. On the same day, Bayer also formed strategic partnerships with Accenture and Tencent Healthcare, with plans to jointly establish an open, mutually beneficial digital healthcare ecosystem for women in China. The partnerships will also explore digital healthcare service models centered on women health values. In addition, to further support the improvement of women health in China, Bayer held the signing ceremony with the National Health Commission Maternal and Child Health Center for the “Women’s Life-Cycle Health Management Project”.
Bayer Co.Lab, which opened in Shanghai this September, welcomed its first resident company, Codone Biotechnology, at the CIIE. Bayer will support the company in advancing tRNA therapies through its global innovative drugs research and development system, helping patients with nonsense mutation-associated diseases worldwide. As an important component of Bayer's expanded innovation ecosystem, Bayer Co.Lab aims to provide an ideal co-creation space, assisting biotech startups in connecting with global innovation networks, with a focus on cutting-edge areas such as cell and gene therapies, oncology, and new technological platforms.
Following the establishment of Bayer's China Center of Innovation and Partnership (CCIP) in October, Bayer Consumer Health leveraged the spillover effects of the CIIE to sign a strategic partnership agreement with the Shandong Institute for Food and Drug Control and Shandong Jewim Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. This partnership aims to refine the plans for innovative collaboration, combining the strengths of all three parties to focus on key areas such as scalp health and respiratory health. The collaboration will delve into aspects including drug development, pilot-scale experiment platform construction, registration regulations, quality control, and talent development, with the goal of providing Chinese consumers with innovative and diverse self-care solutions.
Multidimensional Upgrades in Business Strategies, Driving Global Access to Innovation
Upgrading business strategies is not only a crucial step in enhancing market competitiveness but also a means of making innovative solutions more widely accessible. As a global leader in life sciences, Bayer has implemented a variety of upgrade strategies this year—through digital transformation, expanding channels, and enhancing service differentiation—to ensure that its innovative products and services benefit both the Chinese and global markets.
In the digital economy era, digital transformation has become a core strategy for companies to enhance the accessibility of their products and services. At the CIIE, Bayer Pharmaceuticals announced the adoption of the Salesforce on Alibaba Cloud solution in China to create the next-generation customer engagement platform, OPERA 2.0, for thousands of Bayer's internal users. The system is now officially live and has received positive feedback, significantly improving user experience and system stability. This initiative provides a valuable reference for both Chinese and international pharmaceutical companies exploring digital transformation solutions tailored to China's unique market conditions.
In terms of channel expansion, Bayer Consumer Health once again signed a strategic partnership agreement with Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co., Ltd. at the CIIE to jointly promote the high-quality development of Bayer's new products across all channels. Notably, Bayer has broadened its scope beyond merely offering premium products and services in China's domestic market. The company is now focusing on internationally promoting innovations developed in China, with the goal of benefiting consumers worldwide. At the CIIE, Bayer Consumer Health, in collaboration with Jiangnan University and Wecare, hosted the IberoBiotics Export to ASEAN Celebration Ceremony, announcing the successful launch of IberoBiotics—an intestinal health probiotic product jointly developed and produced by the three parties—in Singapore this year. Plans are also in place to expand into additional ASEAN countries in the future.
In addition, at the signing ceremony organized by the National Health Commission trade delegation, the China-Japan Friendship Hospital also signed a purchase agreement with Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Beijing Anzhen Hospital, affiliated to Capital Medical University, signed an intended purchase agreement with Bayer Pharmaceuticals at the signing ceremony of medical trading group jointly organized by Beijing Municipal Health Commission and Beijing Hospitals Authority.
In the wave of agricultural globalization, Bayer Crop Science officially launched the “Lingfeng Program” in China, marking a new chapter for Bayer in China's agriculture field. At the CIIE, Bayer successfully held the “Lingfeng Center” Authorization Ceremony under the China “Lingfeng Program”, unveiling the “No. 0001 Lingfeng Center”. Moving forward, the China “Lingfeng Program” will fully factor in China’s unique agricultural landscape and development strategies, collaborating with more local partners and empowering key retailers to help smallholder farmers achieve high yields, thereby contributing to China’s food security and rural revitalization.
Creating a New Paradigm for Health Education, Safeguarding Public Health with Practical Measures
Health education serves as a critical bridge between innovative medical breakthroughs and public well-being. Bayer leverages the CIIE as a platform to connect with the public, maximizing the societal impact of its innovations and improving quality of life and well-being for all, thus contributing to the ambitious goals of “Healthy China 2030”.
At this year's CIIE, Bayer Pharmaceuticals partnered with organizations such as the Chinese Medicine Education Association (CMEA) and China Population Welfare Foundation to enhance public welfare cooperation in areas like diabetes and its complications, women health, and oncology. This collaboration focuses on disease prevention, health education, health management, and physician empowerment, while actively exploring innovative approaches to disease awareness. Bayer Pharmaceuticals also launched the Education Handbook for “Prostate Cancer Patients with Bone Metastasis”, which brings together the expertise of dozens of specialists in prostate cancer. The aim is to raise awareness among prostate cancer patients about early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of bone metastases, promoting effective self-management to improve their health.
At the CIIE, Bayer also organized a series of engaging and informative science communication activities. By leveraging popular formats such as talk shows and live broadcasts, which are highly effective at generating trending topics, Bayer was able to transform complex health concepts into daily practices easy to understand. This approach allowed the audience to immediately experience the benefits of a healthy and better life through interactive engagement.
To engage a wider audience, in Pharmaceuticals, Bayer teamed up with various partners. This included inviting a popular women health science blogger, Mr. Six Floors, to host a live talk show, where in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, barriers to understanding gynecological diseases were gradually broken down. In addition to empowering women health, Bayer also placed a special emphasis on men’s health education. At the CIIE, the “Men's Health Month - Prostate Cancer Full Course Management Health Education Action” was jointly initiated by Life Times and Bayer, to give in-depth introduction of the latest developments in prostate cancer and its prevention and treatment for media and the public, while call the whole society for paying attention to men's health. Moreover, Bayer invited oncology experts, genetic testing companies, and representatives from patient organizations to focus on Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Rare Targets, collaboratively promoting the precision diagnosis and treatment in China. Moreover, on November 8, coinciding with the 2024 International Day of Radiology (IDoR), Bayer Radiology engaged with the public to explore future trends and opportunities in imaging diagnosis.
Leveraging the extensive reach and influence of the CIIE and via the format of broadcasting and interview, Bayer Consumer Health invited medical experts and KOLs to provide in-depth insights and health knowledge popularization, focusing on the cognitive blind spots and misunderstandings in the fields of women health and digestive health, combining the latest expert consensus and concept of scientific prevention and control, with the purpose of enhancing the public health literacy and safeguarding everyday health. For instance, GI experts visited Bayer’s booth and interpreted the soon-to-be-released Consensus on Clinical and Family Medication for Digestive Enzyme and shared the causes of common digestive enzyme-related indigestion to make more people be aware of that digestive enzymes can be a staple in the family medicine cabinet for safeguarding digestive health. Additionally, for the launch of the new product Canesten® Lactic Acid Vaginal Gel, Bayer held the health education event on women's intimate health, where gynecological experts interpreted the latest version of the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (2024 Edition), sharing developments in vaginal microbiome research. The on-site expert presentations were creatively paired with street interviews to achieve dynamic interaction between event participants and the wider public, effectively raising awareness about women’s intimate health.
With the successful conclusion of about 30 colorful booth activities, Bayer ushered in a perfect end at the seventh CIIE. Bayer continues and deepens its unwavering commitment to the Chinese market through leading innovations and deep integration with local partners across the entire value chain. Innovation has no limits, and cooperation paves the way for a brighter future. Bayer looks forward to partnering with like-minded collaborators once again at the next CIIE, bringing even more benefits to patients, consumers, and growers in China.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2023, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 47.6 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer 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.
