The world is facing formidable challenges. From a food security crisis and persistent pandemic to war and climate change, farmers, patients and consumers across the globe are feeling the effects. Who is helping find solutions? Or better yet, what is needed to move us all forward? At Bayer the answer lies in science. And pushing the boundaries of innovation. The company has united the brightest minds in biology, digital technologies and data science to build an innovation ecosystem producing breakthrough solutions to help people live better, healthier lives.

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For Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, President of Bayer US and President, Consumer Health, North America, says the company is in place to make this future a reality - given the right purpose:

“At Bayer, we are guided by our one purpose, which is science for a better life. And our one vision, which is: health for all and hunger for none. We have a tremendous amount of resources, a strong industry position and we've invested in a lot of science to convert the greatest challenges to our biggest breakthroughs for humankind. We are absolutely dedicated to human-led science and evidence-based innovation to deliver superior health and nutrition through our trusted brands.”

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Bayer employs over 30,000 people in the United States, each driven by this company vision. Across the company’s three divisions, Bayer is innovating new solutions to answer some of healthcare’s biggest challenges. As Lockwood-Taylor says:

“We're bringing equity to healthcare, more access to more of our innovation and those innovations address conditions that are both important and underserved for more people.”

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One of the ways in which this can be achieved is through harnessing the data that each individual generates and turning it into specific actionable insights regarding that person’s health. Rachel Koonz, Vice President, Innovation, at Bayer US explains:

“Precision medicine is a holistic solution for individuals driven by data. Precision medicine offers solutions for an individual instead of on a total population level. It's very precise and tailored.”

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Diagnoses can be made by analyzing the data from wearable technology, applying artificial intelligence, and matching the results to existing healthcare solutions. Koonz says this is a novel way of combining existing technologies. She adds:

“One of the ways that Bayer is using a personalized approach to help people live healthier lives is through our brand Care/Of. All you need to do is go online and take a quiz about your health and habits, and Care/Of  will give you a recommendation from our vitamins, minerals and supplements categories of the types of products that you should take that will help you to realize your health goals.”

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As well as innovating diagnostics, Bayer is innovating the kinds of products that consumers are able to use to meet their needs. Charlene NG, Head of US Medical Affairs at Bayer gives just one example of a product developed in response to customer feedback:

“AleveX is an innovative product where we try to solve for the unmet needs of minor pain sufferers with the best science to create an innovative solution. In the topical health product application market, consumers often complain that the product is messy and smelly. Another common complaint is that the product doesn't last very long. We set out to solve these problems.”

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New iterations of the product make it easier and cleaner to use, eliminating customer objections.

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Bayer is also keen to move products to the over the counter (OTC) category, removing the need for a doctor’s prescription.

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Astepro Allergy, recently approved by the FDA, is the first OTC nasal antihistamine on the market. Daniella Foster, Global Senior Vice President Sustainability at Bayer US explains why this move is significant:

“A key benefit of self care and over the counter products is the impact that it has on health systems. OTC products are not only more accessible, but in the US alone, it saves the healthcare system $146 billion. That could then be used to invest in underserved communities, expanding access, more innovative solutions for individuals, or digital telehealth. It becomes a really powerful solution.”

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Foster says that access to healthcare is the link between the Bayer vision and sustainability:

“There are two components to our sustainability goals. One is on access, where we are committed to expanding access to everyday health for a hundred million people in underserved communities by 2030. On the environment, we're committed to being climate neutral by 2030, and we're also investing in our innovation pipeline. So we have over a hundred million dollars that we've invested in looking at making our products even more sustainable in the future.”

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For Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, it is the responsibility of those who have the power of science at their command to use the power for good:

“Our job is to expand access to everyday health and by using science based innovation for better lives and by leading with heart and compassionate insight, Bayer can make health for all and hunger for none, a reality for generations to come. We really truly believe that.”