Innovative Products From Schering Complement Bayer HealthCare’s Successful Portfolio
From birth-control pills to cancer therapies
In vitro testing: Cam Quoc examines ovum-cumulus complexes. Cumulus cells form layers around the ovum and play an important role in oocyte maturation.
The acquisition of Schering was the largest take-over in Bayer’s history. Under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany* , the joint pharmaceutical company is now aiming to become one of the largest players on the world market. Schering brings with it an extensive range of products in the fields of gynecology and andrology, diagnostic imaging, oncology and specialized therapeutics which ideally complement Bayer’s existing portfolio.
"Our goal is to make the future Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany* a strong company that ranks among the top ten pharmaceutical specialists in the world." This is how Werner Wenning, Chairman of Bayer's Board of Management, envisages the future of the new company which aims to set new standards in research and development. Like Bayer, Schering has much to offer in this area and will thus strengthen the activities of Bayer HealthCare's Pharmaceuticals Division.
Schering stands for innovation based on tradition: Schering has been actively engaged in research and development at the cutting edge of science ever since the "Green Pharmacy" was founded by Ernst Schering 155 years ago, and today is still tackling the challenges posed by medicine. Schering has been the world leader for years now with numerous products.
Schering stands for innovation based on tradition: Schering has been actively engaged in research and development at the cutting edge of science ever since the "Green Pharmacy" was founded by Ernst Schering 155 years ago, and today is still tackling the challenges posed by medicine. Schering has been the world leader for years now with numerous products.
Schering – the world market leader in hormonal contraceptives for women
The best example of this is the birth-control pill, which many women regard as synonymous with Schering. After all, it was the Berlin-based company which introduced the first oral contraceptive to the European market in 1961. A milestone on the path to self-determined family planning which cemented the company's reputation as a hormone specialist.
State of the art: Biology lab technician Claudia Heyer works with a high-field MR system to investigate the properties of a contrast medium used in magnetic resonance imaging. |
Professor Ursula-Friederike Habenicht, head of Gynecology and Andrology Research, and her team are already working on the contraceptives of tomorrow. Thanks to molecular biology, it is possible to understand how the processes in the human body work right down to the molecular level. "This opens the door to entirely new possibilities, such as the targeted suppression of sperm maturation in the epididymis. New developments are also happening in female contraception, and we are looking for other safe alternatives for women," says Habenicht.
A strong team in the automated measuring room: (from left) Huyen Dan Tran, Nadine Gewiese, Mandy Busch, Kai Steger, Dr. Karsten Parczyk, Alexander Dimerski, Carmen Kropp-Goerkis, Dagmar Zeggert-Springer and Jutta Treske |
Andrology research has given rise to products which counteract testosterone deficiency. But the development of hormone preparations is just one facet of the research conducted at Schering.
Further business units with innovative products and substances
Another focal point is Diagnostic Imaging. This too is a traditional sphere of operation at Schering, which introduced the "prototype" of the iodine-based X-ray contrast media to the market in 1931. It remained the standard for X-rays of the kidneys, bladder and blood vessels for decades.
Innovative tests: In high-throughput screening (HTS) special systems are used to test a large number of substances for potential efficacy in new therapeutic approaches. The photo shows Huyen Dan Tran, Alexander Dimerski and Jutta Treske (from left) loading microtiter plates into a high-throughput multipurpose measuring system. |
The third business area is Oncology, where Schering has made innovative treatment concepts a priority and assumed a leading role in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma. A chemotherapy agent and a humanized monoclonal antibody are significantly prolonging survival and improving the quality of life of patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL).
The first approved radio-immunotherapy agent is helping patients whose non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) does not respond to standard therapy. NHL is the fifth most common form of cancer in Germany. The antibody attaches specifically to the cancer cells and destroys them with yttrium-90, the radioactive substance linked to it.
Schering researchers have also been studying solid, localized tumors. Dr. Klaus Bosslet, head of Oncology Research, says: "We are currently testing a synthetic epothilone for treatment of prostate, ovarian and breast cancer as well as an active substance which inhibits the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) supplying the tumor, thus making metastasis more difficult."
| Image: Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is quantified under a NanoDrop spectrometer. The photo shows a sample between two fiber optic cables. RNA is responsible for translating genetic information into proteins. |
| Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is quantified under a NanoDrop spectrometer. The photo shows a sample between two fiber optic cables. RNA is responsible for translating genetic information into proteins. |
A new kind of cell therapy for treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease is an example of high-tech at its best. Elke Reisig, the Core Clinician working on the development of this treatment, says: "Initial studies show that human retinal cells from donor material attached to tiny microcarriers continuously produce the missing neurotransmitter dopamine in the brains of these patients and lastingly improve disease symptoms." Such findings bring with them a ray of hope for patients, doctors and naturally for the new company Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany*.
*
The names "Bayer Schering Pharma" or "Schering" as used in this website always refer to Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany, or its predecessor, Schering AG, Berlin, Germany, respectively.