Bayer
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGerman multinational life-science company operating in pharmaceuticals, consumer health, crop science, seeds, and agricultural biotechnology.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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]Bayer completes the Monsanto transaction after regulatory approval.
- 2016
Monsanto acquisition is agreed
[1]Bayer announces an agreement to acquire Monsanto.
- 2001
Baycol is withdrawn
[1]Bayer removes the statin cerivastatin from the market after serious safety reports.
- 1978
Miles Laboratories is acquired
[1]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]Farbenfabriken Bayer AG changes its name to Bayer AG.
- 1951
Bayer is re-established
[1]Following the dissolution of IG Farben, Bayer is reconstituted as an independent company.
- 1932
Prontosil is developed
[1]Bayer researchers develop Prontosil, an important early systemic antibacterial medicine.
- 1925
Bayer joins IG Farben
[1]Bayer becomes part of the IG Farben chemical conglomerate.
- 1904
Bayer Cross is trademarked
[1]The circular Bayer Cross logo receives trademark protection.
- 1899
Aspirin trademark is introduced
[1]Bayer launches acetylsalicylic acid under the Aspirin trademark.
Showing the 10 most recent.
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
2019
Australian farmer sues Monsanto over Roundup
In 2019, Ross Wild, a farmer from New South Wales, Australia, filed a lawsuit against Monsanto, alleging that long-term exposure to Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and that the product's warnings were inadequate. Bayer Australia, the parent company of Monsanto, responded that the scientific evidence supported the conclusion that Roundup did not cause the disease. The case was reported by ABC News on 10 October 2019.
2019
Bayer fined over Supradyn Kids advertising
Hungary's acting Competition Council fined Bayer €20,000 and ordered it to terminate communications for Supradyn Kids supplement products. The Council found that a television ad promoting Supradyn Kids multivitamins involved unfair commercial practices against consumers.
2018
Roundup litigation
After acquiring Monsanto, Bayer became the defendant in extensive litigation over whether glyphosate-based Roundup products cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other cancers. Bayer contests the claims while pursuing settlements and appeals.
2001
Baycol safety crisis
Bayer withdrew Baycol after reports of rhabdomyolysis and associated kidney failure, including deaths, led to regulatory and public scrutiny.
1980
Contaminated hemophilia products
Cutter, a Bayer subsidiary, was among manufacturers whose blood-clotting products infected hemophiliacs with HIV and other pathogens during the early AIDS era. Later disclosures concerning distribution of untreated products outside the United States intensified criticism.
1960
Primodos pregnancy-test controversy
The hormone-based pregnancy test Primodos was blamed by campaigners for birth defects and was withdrawn in the 1970s. Later official reviews found the evidence inconclusive.
1939
IG Farben forced labor and wartime crimes
Bayer's predecessor within IG Farben was involved in the Nazi war economy, forced labor, concentration-camp production, and medical experimentation. Allied authorities dismantled IG Farben after the war.
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.
Brand decisions
2016
Agreement to acquire MonsantoM&ABackground
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.
2001
Withdrawal of BaycolOtherBackground
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.
1899
Launch of AspirinProduct launchBackground
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.
Recent events
- 2023
Bill Anderson becomes chief executive[8]
Leadership change
Bill Anderson took over as Bayer’s chief executive and began a program to simplify the organization and accelerate decision-making.
- 2023
Bayer introduces Dynamic Shared Ownership[9]
Other
The company announced a management model designed to reduce hierarchy, clarify accountability and move decisions closer to employees and customers.
- 2019
Bayer sells animal-health business to Elanco[10]
M&A
Bayer agreed to transfer its Animal Health business to Elanco in a transaction involving cash and Elanco shares.
- 2018
Bayer completes Monsanto acquisition[11]
M&A
Bayer completed its acquisition of Monsanto after receiving required regulatory clearances, combining pharmaceuticals, consumer health, seeds, and crop protection under one group.
- 2018
Bayer completes acquisition of Monsanto[12]
M&A
Bayer completed the Monsanto acquisition after regulatory clearance and required divestitures, creating a much larger Crop Science business.
- 2016
Bayer agrees to acquire Monsanto[1]
M&A
Bayer announced an agreement to acquire Monsanto, a transaction that would significantly expand its seeds and agricultural-technology business.
- 2001
Bayer withdraws Baycol[1]
Recall
Bayer discontinued the cholesterol medicine Baycol after reports linked it to rhabdomyolysis and fatal cases of kidney failure.
Sources16 sources
- 1Bayeren.wikipedia.org
- 2Bayer corporate websitebayer.com
- 3Bayer Board of Managementbayer.com
- 4Australian farmer sues Monsanto over Roundupabc.net.au
- 5Bayer fined over Supradyn Kids advertisingnutraingredients.com
- 6Roundup litigation becomes a major corporate liabilityreuters.com
- 7Monsanto acquisition and glyphosate litigationbayer.com
- 8Bill Anderson becomes chief executivebayer.com
- 9Bayer introduces Dynamic Shared Ownershipbayer.com
- 10Bayer sells animal-health business to Elancobayer.com
- 11拜耳完成对孟山都的收购bayer.com
- 12Bayer completes acquisition of Monsantobayer.com
- 13Bayer Announces National Sponsorship of the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association's Know Diabetes by Heart initiativeprnewswire.com
- 14Bayer Launches LifeHub UK Focused on Artificial Intelligence to Optimize Data-Driven Drug Discovery and Disease Diagnosisdigitalhealthnews.eu
- 15Bayer pharmaceutical company to build $2.2 billion drug manufacturing plant in New Albany - wosu.orgnews.google.com
- 16Bayer’s CEO cut managers by 70%. Now comes the hard part - Fortunenews.google.com
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