2007-09-17 43 rd Annual Meeting of the EASD in Amsterdam

Innovative blood glucose meters from Bayer HealthCare

Contour TS, Contour Pro, Contour Link, Breeze 2, Contour

Leverkusen, September 17, 2007 – People suffering from diabetes must be able to rely on their blood glucose meters. They need reliable measurements as the basis for managing their condition, and they want their quality of life to be impaired as little as possible. That’s why they need a blood glucose meter that is technically sophisticated yet easy to operate and capable of delivering reliable results quickly. These results can now also be transmitted wirelessly to the patients’ insulin pump or the hospital’s central data processing system – the beginning of a new era in blood glucose measurement.  

“The addition of these two wireless meters – Contour Pro and Contour Link – to our business has given us a new strategic focus,��? said Dr. Roberto Parotelli, Head of the European Diabetes Care Division of Bayer HealthCare. “Their complimentary features will make a significant contribution to improving safety for people with diabetes.��? 

From September 17 to 21, Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care will present its current range of innovative blood glucose meters – Contour® Pro, Contour® Link, Contour® TS, Contour®  and Breeze® 2 – at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. 

Contour Pro offers a state-of-the-art wireless connectivity solution for blood glucose monitoring using established POC management technology. Contour Link automatically transmits blood glucose results to compatible MiniMed Paradigm® Insulin pumps and the Guardian® Real-Time system. The high-performance Contour TS meter is advanced technology made simple. Breeze 2 stands for simple and easy testing using a sensor disc with 10 test strips. The enhanced Contour makes testing fast, easy and accurate. All of Bayer’s blood glucose meters do not require coding, thus eliminating a common source of errors. Another positive feature for reliable measurements is the improved sensor technology.

The new systems will be launched in selected markets in various European countries in the coming months.

Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care

Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care supports customers in 100 countries. Since the introduction of Clinitest® reagent tablets in 1941, Bayer has led the way in diabetes care product innovation. The company changed the face of diabetes care in 1969 when it introduced the first portable blood glucose meter and test strips.  Bayer HealthCare further innovated diabetes management by being the first company to introduce a range of blood glucose monitors with No Coding™ technology. The Breeze® and Contour® blood glucose monitoring systems offer people with diabetes an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems. The Arthritis Foundation in the United States and the Arthritis Society of Canada each granted Ease-of-Use Commendations to the Breeze meter, representing the first time a blood glucose meter has been recognized as easy to use for arthritis sufferers.
In July 2006, Bayer Diabetes Care acquired Metrika Inc., maker and manufacturer of A1CNow+, a meter-based diabetes monitoring system for measurement of HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin), an important indicator of long term blood sugar control.  
Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care, the global headquarters of which are located in Tarrytown, New York, operates as part of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the worldwide Bayer HealthCare group. Bayer Consumer Care AG in Basel, Switzerland, is the headquarters for the region Europe and MERA (Middle East, Russia and Africa).
In 2006, Bayer Diabetes Care generated sales amounting to € 810 million (+ 12.8 percent).

Bayer HealthCare

Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group 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 our annual and interim reports to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and in our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.