Bayer

Corporate brand

German multinational life-science company operating in pharmaceuticals, consumer health, crop science, seeds, and agricultural biotechnology.

Last updated November 4, 2026

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First read: Oct 29, 2026
Latest read: Nov 3, 2026

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Overview

Bayer is a German multinational life-science company headquartered in Leverkusen. Its principal businesses are Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, and Crop Science. The company develops prescription medicines, over-the-counter health products, crop-protection chemicals, agricultural seeds, traits, and digital farming technologies. Bayer sells globally through a mixture of proprietary brands, prescription products, agricultural distribution channels, licensing arrangements, and regional consumer-health portfolios. The company began in 1863 in Barmen, now part of Wuppertal, as a partnership between Friedrich Bayer, a commercial dyestuffs merchant, and Johann Friedrich Weskott, a dyer. Its early expertise in aniline and related chemistry created a platform for expansion beyond textile dyes. Bayer later moved production to the Leverkusen area, which became closely associated with the company and eventually developed into the city of Leverkusen. Bayer became internationally recognizable through pharmaceutical products. Aspirin, introduced under Bayer's trademark in 1899, became one of the world's best-known medicines and remains a central part of the company's historical identity. The company also commercialized or developed products including heroin, phenobarbital, the antibacterial drug Prontosil, and the antiparasitic compound suramin. Some of these products belong to the history of medicine rather than Bayer's current portfolio, and heroin is now an illicit addictive substance rather than a Bayer offering. In 1925, Bayer joined BASF, Hoechst, Agfa, and other chemical companies to form IG Farben. That conglomerate was deeply involved in the German war economy and used forced labor during the Nazi period. After the Second World War, Allied authorities dismantled IG Farben, and Bayer was re-established as an independent company in 1951. The company's postwar growth included pharmaceuticals, polymers, diagnostics, consumer products, and agricultural chemicals. Bayer expanded through acquisitions, including Miles Laboratories in 1978 and Monsanto in 2018. The Monsanto transaction substantially increased Bayer's agricultural-seeds and crop-science capabilities, but it also made Bayer responsible for extensive litigation concerning glyphosate-based Roundup herbicides and alleged cancer risks. The resulting legal, financial, and reputational pressures have been among the defining issues of Bayer's contemporary history. Today, Bayer presents itself as a science-based company focused on health and nutrition. Its pharmaceutical activities include cardiovascular, renal, women's-health, specialty-care, radiology, and ophthalmology products. Consumer Health markets brands such as Aspirin, Aleve, Claritin, and Bepanthen in relevant countries. Crop Science supplies herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, seeds, traits, and agricultural data and services. The Bayer Cross remains the company's principal corporate symbol, while the business portfolio continues to be shaped by patent cycles, clinical development, agricultural regulation, litigation, and portfolio restructuring.

History

Bayer was founded in 1863 in Barmen by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskott as a dyestuffs partnership. The business used the expanding possibilities of aniline chemistry to develop textile colorants and related chemicals. Production moved first to Elberfeld and later to the Leverkusen area, where the company established the industrial base that still defines its identity. The company entered pharmaceuticals in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Bayer registered Aspirin as a trademark in 1899 and introduced the Bayer Cross as a corporate mark in 1904. It also marketed heroin as a medicine between 1898 and 1910, commercialized the barbiturate Veronal, and contributed to the development of phenobarbital. During the 1930s, Bayer researchers associated with IG Farben developed Prontosil, a landmark sulfonamide antibacterial drug. Gerhard Domagk received the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of its antibacterial effects, although Nazi authorities prevented him from accepting the award at the time. In 1925, Bayer became part of IG Farben, a large German chemical conglomerate. IG Farben supported the Nazi war economy, used forced labor, and was connected with concentration-camp production and medical experimentation. After the Second World War, Allied authorities seized and dismantled IG Farben. Bayer was reconstituted in 1951 and later adopted the name Bayer AG in 1972. Its postwar expansion made it a major producer of pharmaceuticals, polymers, diagnostics, consumer-health goods, and agricultural chemicals. The company's history also includes difficult legacies: former IG Farben personnel returned to senior positions after the war, and Bayer later faced criticism over its predecessor's wartime conduct. Bayer's postwar portfolio broadened through product development and acquisitions. It brought chlorpromazine to the German market in the 1950s, expanded consumer-health operations through the purchase of Miles Laboratories in 1978, and developed or acquired brands in vitamins, antacids, insect repellents, and hemophilia treatment. Contaminated clotting-factor products sold during the early AIDS epidemic resulted in a major public-health controversy and subsequent settlements. Other product controversies included the withdrawal of Baycol in 2001 and disputes concerning the Primodos hormone pregnancy test. The modern company is organized around pharmaceuticals, consumer health, and crop science. The 2018 acquisition of Monsanto made Bayer a leading agricultural-seeds and crop-protection company. That transaction also transferred responsibility for Roundup-related litigation. Jury verdicts, appeals, settlements, and continuing claims concerning glyphosate have affected Bayer's reputation, investor relations, and strategic priorities. In the 2020s, management emphasized simplifying the organization, improving operational performance, managing litigation, and maintaining investment in pharmaceutical and agricultural innovation.

2018
Monsanto acquisition closes
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Bayer completes the Monsanto transaction after regulatory approval.
2016
Monsanto acquisition is agreed
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Bayer announces an agreement to acquire Monsanto.
2001
Baycol is withdrawn
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Bayer removes the statin cerivastatin from the market after serious safety reports.
1978
Miles Laboratories is acquired
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Bayer acquires Miles Laboratories and gains brands including Alka-Seltzer, One-A-Day, and Flintstones vitamins.
1972
The company adopts the Bayer AG name
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Farbenfabriken Bayer AG changes its name to Bayer AG.
1951
Bayer is re-established
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Following the dissolution of IG Farben, Bayer is reconstituted as an independent company.
1932
Prontosil is developed
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Bayer researchers develop Prontosil, an important early systemic antibacterial medicine.
1925
Bayer joins IG Farben
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Bayer becomes part of the IG Farben chemical conglomerate.
1904
Bayer Cross is trademarked
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
The circular Bayer Cross logo receives trademark protection.
1899
Aspirin trademark is introduced
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Bayer launches acetylsalicylic acid under the Aspirin trademark.
1863
Bayer is founded
[1]Bayeren.wikipedia.org
Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskott establish a dyestuffs business in Barmen, Germany.

Products and positioning

Science for a better life

Over-the-counter medicine · 1899
Aspirin
Bayer's best-known historical product is acetylsalicylic acid sold under the Aspirin trademark. It is used in pain relief and, at appropriate doses and under medical guidance, in the prevention of certain cardiovascular events. The word is generic in some markets but remains a Bayer trademark in others.
Prescription medicine
Xarelto
Xarelto is the brand name for rivaroxaban, an oral anticoagulant used for several blood-clotting and cardiovascular indications. It is one of Bayer's major pharmaceutical products and is commercialized with a regional partner in some markets.
Ophthalmology medicine
Eylea
Eylea is an ophthalmic biologic used for retinal and other eye diseases associated with abnormal blood-vessel growth or leakage. It is part of Bayer's specialty-pharmaceutical and ophthalmology portfolio.
Consumer health
Claritin
Claritin is a consumer-health allergy brand based primarily on loratadine. It is sold in multiple countries in formulations intended to relieve symptoms of seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis and related allergies.
Agricultural science
Crop Science
Bayer Crop Science combines crop-protection products with seeds, plant traits, biological approaches, and digital farming tools. Its portfolio supports weed, insect, and disease management as well as crop productivity across major agricultural markets.
Herbicide
Roundup
Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide brand acquired through Monsanto. It has been commercially important in weed control but has also generated extensive litigation alleging links between glyphosate exposure and cancer. Bayer disputes the allegations and continues to manage the legal and regulatory consequences.
Antibacterial medicine · 1932
Prontosil
Prontosil was an early sulfonamide antibacterial medicine developed by researchers associated with Bayer's laboratories in the 1930s. Its development helped establish systemic antibacterial chemotherapy, although it is no longer a central current Bayer product.

Controversies

2026
Monsanto secures defense verdict in Roundup trial
In a Roundup-related trial, a Missouri jury returned a unanimous defense verdict in favor of Monsanto, the company associated with Bayer. The case involved claims of design defect, fraud and negligence. The verdict resolved the trial in Monsanto's favor on those claims. The event was reported as Monsanto's first Roundup trial win since a Supreme Court ruling referenced in the source headline.
Source
2026
Jury rules for Bayer in Roundup cancer trial
A Missouri jury unanimously ruled in favor of Bayer in a trial concerning claims that Roundup caused cancer in three women. The women alleged that they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after regularly using the weedkiller. The jury's decision resolved the trial in Bayer's favor.
Source
2022
Bayer and Janssen sue Micro Labs over Xarelto patents
Bayer Pharma AG, Bayer AG, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. filed a patent-infringement case against Micro Labs LTD and Micro Labs USA Inc. concerning Xarelto. The plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief and expenses.
Source
2022
Lawsuit alleges defects in Bayer's Essure device
A plaintiff sued Bayer and related entities, alleging that defects in the Essure birth control device and its manufacturing could harm users. The allegations are described in the complaint; the article does not report a court determination.
Source
2022
Los Angeles files PCB contamination lawsuit against Monsanto
The city of Los Angeles sued Monsanto and two other companies seeking compensation for past and future costs related to PCB contamination of waterways. The city alleges that PCBs continue to enter local waterways and soils. Bayer said it was reviewing the lawsuit and believed it was without merit, and denied that Monsanto manufactured, used, or disposed of PCBs in Los Angeles waters.
Source
2021
Jury awards $62 million in PCB exposure case
A King County jury awarded $62 million in damages to eight people harmed by exposure to PCBs at Sky Valley Education Center. The jury decided Bayer had done too little to warn the public about PCBs. Bayer Pharmaceuticals said it disagreed with the verdict and planned to appeal.
Source
2021
LHC Group files complaint against Bayer over Essure
LHC Group filed a complaint against Bayer and others concerning the allegedly defective Essure birth-control device. The plaintiff alleged that Bayer negligently monitored and reported complications and continued marketing the product as safe and effective; these are allegations in the complaint, not a court determination.
Source
2020
Jury orders Bayer and BASF to pay damages over dicamba herbicide damage
A U.S. jury found Bayer and BASF liable in a farmer's case alleging that dicamba herbicide produced by the companies drifted onto and severely damaged his peach orchard. The jury awarded $15 million in actual damages and $250 million in punitive damages. Bayer said it would appeal. The event was reported in February 2020.
Source
2020
Bayer agrees to draft settlement terms in Roundup cases
A report stated that Bayer agreed to draft settlement terms with law firms representing tens of thousands of people who allege that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. The source characterized the terms as a draft rather than a completed settlement. The report did not describe a finalized agreement or any resolution of the underlying allegations.
Source
2020
D.C. sues Monsanto over PCB pollution allegations
The District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against Monsanto and affiliated companies, alleging that they knowingly manufactured, promoted and sold toxic chemicals that polluted local waterways. Bayer, which acquired Monsanto, denied that Monsanto used or dumped PCBs into the District's waterways and stated that it would respond to the complaint.
Source

Marketing campaigns

1904Bayer Cross branding
Global
Bayer introduced and promoted the circular Bayer Cross, later placing the mark on Aspirin tablets and using illuminated versions as corporate landmarks.
Outcome. The logo became one of the company's most durable international brand assets.
Source

Brand decisions

2016
Agreement to acquire MonsantoM&A
Background
Bayer sought to expand from crop protection into seeds, agricultural traits, and a broader integrated agriculture platform.
Action taken
Bayer agreed to acquire Monsanto and subsequently pursued regulatory approval and divestitures required by competition authorities.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in 2018 and created a larger Crop Science business, while also transferring Monsanto's Roundup litigation liabilities and reputational challenges to Bayer.
Source
2001
Withdrawal of BaycolOther
Background
Reports associated the cholesterol medicine cerivastatin with severe muscle injury and kidney failure.
Action taken
Bayer discontinued Baycol and removed it from the market.
Aftermath
The withdrawal became a major safety and reputation event in Bayer's pharmaceutical history.
Source
1899
Launch of AspirinProduct launch
Background
Bayer sought to commercialize a stable and useful formulation of acetylsalicylic acid.
Action taken
The company introduced the Aspirin trademark for the medicine.
Aftermath
Aspirin became a globally recognized medicine and a foundational element of Bayer's corporate identity.
Source

Recent events

2026.11.03
Reported2026.11.03
Bayer raises 2026 adjusted EBITDA outlook[26]拜耳上调2026年调整后EBITDA展望econotimes.com
Bayer raised its 2026 outlook for currency-adjusted EBITDA before special items, citing stronger pharmaceutical performance in the first nine months of the year.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.11.03
Bayer raises outlook after pharma recovery[27]拜耳因制药业务复苏上调展望news.google.com
A WSJ headline reports that Bayer raised its outlook after a recovery in its pharma business; the supplied source does not provide further details.
2026.10.30
Reported2026.10.30
Monsanto secures defense verdict in Roundup trial[15]Monsanto secures defense verdict in Roundup trialrttnews.com
A Missouri jury returned a unanimous defense verdict in Monsanto's favor in a Roundup-related trial involving claims of design defect, fraud and negligence.
2026.10.29
Reported2026.10.30
Jury rules for Bayer in Roundup cancer trial[17]Jury rules for Bayer in Roundup cancer trialksevradio.com
A St. Louis jury unanimously ruled for Bayer-owned Monsanto in a trial over claims that Roundup caused cancer. Bayer denied the claims.
2026.10.29
Reported2026.10.30
Jury rules for Bayer in Roundup cancer trial[16]Jury rules for Bayer in Roundup cancer trialdw.com
A Missouri jury unanimously sided with Bayer in a trial over claims that Roundup caused cancer in three women. The women had alleged that they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after regularly using the weedkiller.
2026.10.22
Reported2026.10.23
Phylo and Bayer announce AI drug-discovery research partnership[28]Phylo与拜耳宣布人工智能药物发现研究合作econotimes.com
Phylo announced a partnership with Bayer to use Phylo’s Biomni Lab AI platform in drug-discovery research, including workflows aimed at assembling scientific literature and omics evidence. The announcement was unclear about whether Bayer’s access had begun.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.10.07
Bayer CEO cut managers by 70%[29]拜耳首席执行官将经理人数削减70%news.google.com
Fortune reports that Bayer's CEO has cut the number of managers at the company by 70%, with the article indicating the company now faces the next stage of the effort.
Unconfirmed
Reported2026.10.02
Bayer to build $2.2 billion drug manufacturing plant in New Albany[30]拜耳拟投资22亿美元在新奥尔巴尼建设药品制造工厂news.google.com
Pharmaceutical company Bayer plans to build a $2.2 billion drug manufacturing plant in New Albany, as reported by wosu.org.
2022.03.15
Bayer suspends most operations in Russia and Belarus[31]拜耳暂停在俄罗斯和白俄罗斯的大部分业务abc.az
Bayer suspended all activities in Russia and Belarus except those involving vital products for health and agriculture.
2022.03.10
Reported2022.03.10
Bayer announces sale of its Environmental Science Professional business[32]拜耳宣布出售环境科学专业业务yahoo.com
Bayer said it is selling its Environmental Science Professional business to private equity firm Cinven for $2.6 billion. The sale was expected to close in the second half of 2022.

Sources91 sources

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