Bayer and Schering Aim For Specialized Solution
By Yekaterina Dranitsyna
Staff Writer
New pharmaceuticals giant Bayer Schering Pharma, a result of the merger between German companies Bayer and Schering, is to take advantage of the new situation with a strategy focusing on more innovative and specialized products, the managers said at a news conference Thursday. Reorganization of the two companies that operate in over 120 countries started last year when shareholders gave their approval to the merger. Active reorganization is currently underway in Russia. “It’s not often that two companies of such size merge. The process is not easy. But both companies are German, their corporate cultures are alike, and that helps a lot,” said Manfred Paul, head of Bayer Schering Pharma in Russia. The unified company is listed among the top ten pharmaceutical companies in the world, Paul said. Last year global sales exceeded 10 billion euros ($13.5 million). Spending on R&D accounted for 15 percent to 17 percent of that amount. The new strategy focuses on the development of medicines for use in hospitals and treatments for cancer and hematological diseases. The company will also keep producing products for gynaecology, diagnostic imaging and general disorders. “Our strategic goal is to increase the share of innovative medications for specialized therapy up to 70 percent of total sales,” Paul said. In the world market of specialized medications Bayer Schering Pharma holds sixth place after Roche/Genentech, Amgen, Johnson&Johnson, Novo Nordisk and Baxter, Paul said. Betaferon, Yasmin, Kogenate and Adalat provide most of the sales for Bayer Schering Pharma. Bayer trademarks account for one third of the total sales, Schering trademarks – for two thirds of sales, Paul said. In Russia, Bayer Schering Pharma sales accounted for 150 million euros last year. This year the company expects sales amounting to 185 million euros. However, many innovative products are only distributed through state programs of health insurance because they are too expensive for patients to buy. “We face some difficulties with the financing of the state program for the supply of additional medications. So we are not sure if we will reach the target sales figures this year,” Paul admitted. According to data by RMBC marketing company, Schering held 6.2 percent of the Russian pharmaceutical market last year — the tenth largest company — while Bayer held only 0.9 percent. The combined share of Bayer and Schering was seven percent. About 400 people are employed at Bayer Schering Pharma in Russia. “Our experience proved that this is not enough. This year we plan to hire at least 100 more people,” Paul said. The Northwest region provides 12.3 percent of the company’s sales in Russia, said Alla Gubenko, director of the Northwest branch of Bayer Schering Pharma. This year the company plans to increase sales of special therapy medications in the Northwest region by 335 percent, Gubenko said. “Bayer is a rather well-known brand both in Russia and abroad,” said Irina Rutskikh, pharmacist at EuroMed Clinic. “This company owns trademarks for a number of unique preparations that no other company distributes, which is true also in the Russian pharmaceutical market,” she said. However, she indicated that after the financial crisis of 1998 Bayer had fewer representatives in Russia, a situation that improved with the acquisition of Schering.
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