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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
9.02.2005 ET
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CSR News from:
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Bayer Pledges 45,000 Diabetes Blood Glucose Monitors To Hurricane Katrina Victims
Responding To Immediate Public Health Need Shipping First Units To Red Cross For Refugees In Texas
(CSRwire) PITTSBURGH - Bayer announced today that it is ready to ship more
than 45,000 Ascensia® BRIO® blood glucose monitors and Ascensia®
EASYFILL® test strips to help meet the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims
with diabetes. Bayer will donate these products, which are essential for
monitoring blood glucose levels, to the American Red Cross. These
portable, hand-held monitors play a vital part in the lives of people with
diabetes who need to test their blood sugar levels multiple times each day.
The first 1,000 blood glucose monitors and test strips will be shipped, at
the request of a local American Red Cross Chapter, to help in the treatment
of hurricane victims with diabetes who have sought refuge in the Houston
region, including Baytown, Texas. Bayer management and employees are part
of the around-the-clock local effort in Baytown, including cooking meals at
the Bayer MaterialScience facility there and delivering them to the local
shelters.
"We all feel very deeply for everyone affected by Hurricane Katrina," said
Dr. Attila Molnar, president and CEO, Bayer Corporation. "Clearly, the
human impact from the hurricane is much larger than anyone anticipated.
And we also know that the plight of people with diabetes must be
especially difficult in the middle of this disaster, and we are very
gratified to be able to help meet their diabetes management needs."
The pledge by Bayer will nearly double the company's initial commitment of
$2 million. Bayer officials are working closely with American Red Cross
representatives to identify products of need from its health care, crop
science and material sciences businesses.
On Wednesday, Bayer Corporation announced that, together with the Bayer
Foundation, it has committed $2 million in cash and product donations to
the Hurricane Katrina Relief effort. The Bayer Foundation will match
Bayer employee donations dollar for dollar, which will then be donated to
the Red Cross.
Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care Division
Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care Division is one of the largest self test
diagnostic businesses in the world, supporting 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 strips. Bayer HealthCare further innovated diabetes self
management by being the first company to introduce a suite of blood glucose
monitors that do not require coding. The Ascensia® BREEZE®, Ascensia®
CONTOUR®, and Ascensia® DEX®2 systems offer people with diabetes
unparalleled choice in blood glucose monitoring meters.
Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care Division sponsors the annual Ascensia Dream
Fund® contest (www.AscensiaDreamFund.com) - a
national contest for people with diabetes 18 and older to win up to
$100,000 to achieve their dream - whatever it may be.
Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care Division's global headquarters in the
United States operates as part of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the
worldwide Bayer HealthCare group.
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is part of the worldwide
Bayer Group, an international health care, nutrition and innovative
materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, as of
April 2005, Bayer employed about 16,000 and had net sales in 2004 of 8.3
billion euros. Bayer's three operating companies -- Bayer HealthCare LLC,
Bayer CropScience LP and Bayer MaterialScience LLC -- improve people's
lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose and
treat diseases, protect crops and advance automobile safety and
durability.
# # #
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 public reports filed with the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange and 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.
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