Bayer plans to divest plasma business

Bayer is initiating a process to divest its plasma business, which is part of the Biological Products (BP) division. The plasma business recorded sales of €679m (£476m) in 2002; sales in the first half of 2003 reached €293m (£205m).

The range of biological products derived from blood plasma includes drugs such as Polyglobin/Gamimune for the treatment of immunodeficiency disorders and Prolastin for the therapy of congenital pulmonary emphysema. However, the Kogenate line of products and hemophilia franchise is not included as part of this initiative.

In August 2003, Bayer was granted marketing authorisation in the US for Gamunex, a next-generation intravenous immunoglobulin which had also received regulatory approval in Canada shortly before. It is the first immunoglobulin in the past 10 years to be developed completely from scratch. Gamunex is manufactured in a new, state-of-the-art facility in Clayton, North Carolina.

Bayer BP division will continue to pursue new technologies and maintain reliable supplies of safe products, the company says. 'Our deep pipeline of new products, together with our solid market presence with Prolastin for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and Gamunex and Gamimune N for immune disorders, allows us to work from a position of strength as we pursue this process,' stressed Dr Gunnar Riemann, president, Bayer BP.

The unit, which is headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, employs around 1,350 people, the vast majority of them in the US.