Bayer and Monsanto could combine plant, pet, people products
By Associated Press
Published: 22:06 BST, 23 May 2016 | Updated: 22:06 BST, 23 May 2016
A merger between Bayer and Monsanto would put together two giant chemical makers, one focused on plants and another that also makes products for people and animals. Here’s a look at their products, which have more than $65 billion in total annual revenue.
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BAYER
FILE – In this Wednesday, May 13, 2015, file photo, bottles of Bayer aspirin appear on display on a shelf in the employee shop at the Bayer Pharmaceuticals facility in Whippany, N.J. German drug and chemicals company Bayer AG announced Monday, May 23, 2016, that it has made a $62 billion offer to buy U.S.-based crops and seeds specialist Monsanto. A merger between Bayer and Monsanto would put together two giant makers of chemicals, one that focuses on people and animals, and another that focuses on plants. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Bayer AG, based in Leverkusen, Germany, sells a broad range of products beyond its nearly 120-year-old aspirin, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines for people, vaccines and drugs for pets and livestock, and seeds and chemicals for farmers and home gardeners.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Bayer is a leader in birth control and hemophilia treatments. Its medicines include contraceptives pills Yasmin, Yasminelle and Yaz; Mirena and Skyla intrauterine devices; Essure, a permanent contraceptive that blocks the fallopian tubes; hemophilia treatments Kogenate and Kovaltry; cancer drugs Nexavar, Stivarga and Xofigo; antibiotics Avelox and Cipro, erectile dysfunction pill Levitra, Betaseron for multiple sclerosis, Desonate for eczema in babies, and Adempas for high blood pressure in lungs. With U.S. partners, Bayer jointly markets Eylea, an injected drug for vision-destroying macular degeneration, and Xarelto, the top seller among new drugs for preventing heart attacks and strokes.
CONSUMER HEALTH
Bayer is No. 2 globally in sales of nonprescription drugs and other health products. Besides its iconic aspirin, those include Aleve pain reliever, One A Day, Flintstones and other vitamin brands; Alka-Seltzer and Rennie for heartburn and upset stomach, laxatives MiraLax and Phillips’ Colon Health, cold sore treatment Campho-Phenique, Skinoren for acne in women, Canesten for vaginal yeast and other fungal infections, eczema cream Advantan, nonprescription Claritin allergy pills, Afrin decongestant spray, Coppertone sun care products and Dr. Scholl’s foot care items.
PET AND LIVESTOCK MEDICINES
Bayer sells Advantage and Advantix, a line of topical flea and tick protection for dogs and cats, plus shampoos and defoggers; Seresto, flea-and-tick collars for dogs and cats; antibiotic Baytril for cats, dogs and farm animals; quellin, a prescription pain and inflammation drug for dogs; Drontal and Profender for killing worms in dogs and cats; Veraflox, for treating skin, wound and some internal infections in dogs and cats, and Zelnate, an immune-system stimulator for fighting respiratory disease in cattle.
PLANT PRODUCTS
These include Bayer Advanced and Natria home garden products to control weeds, pests and flower and vegetable diseases, plus numerous farm products, including Liberty herbicide and a related treatment to protect crops, Corvus herbicide, Poncho and Votivo biological insecticide and fungicide seed treatments, and new insecticide Sivanto, which helps protect beneficial insects such as pollinators.
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MONSANTO
Monsanto Co., based in St. Louis, has dominated the market for genetically enhanced seeds for more than a decade, particularly in the U.S., where everything from corn flakes to soda and beef are often produced from crops that use technology first developed by Monsanto.
SEEDS
Monsanto makes biotech-enhanced seeds, for corn, soybeans, cotton and other agricultural staples. These yield-boosting seeds are designed to resist insects and tolerate herbicides, allowing famers to wipe out weeds without harming crops. Some of the company’s best-selling products, including corn seeds, feature extra traits to help crops weather droughts.
The company also sells conventional seeds for tomatoes, carrots and onions.
HERBICIDES
Monsanto sells herbicides for killing weeds on farms, golf courses, gardens and other green spaces. Its chief product is decades-old weed killer Roundup. It dominated Monsanto’s business when it primarily sold chemicals, and remains a multi-billion-dollar seller annually, though sales have declined in recent quarters due to generic competition and safety concerns of European authorities.
SEED TRAITS
Monsanto also licenses traits of its genetically modified seeds to other companies for sale under their own brands.
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FILE – In this Tuesday, June 28, 2011, file photo, bottles of Roundup herbicide, a product of Monsanto, are displayed on a store shelf in St. Louis. German drug and chemicals company Bayer AG announced Monday, May 23, 2016, that it has made a $62 billion offer to buy U.S.-based crops and seeds specialist Monsanto. A merger between Bayer and Monsanto would put together two giant makers of chemicals, one that focuses on people and animals, and another that focuses on plants. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
FILE – In this Wednesday, May 13, 2015, file photo, 레비트라부작용 an employee stocks products in the employee shop at the Bayer Pharmaceuticals facility in Whippany, N.J. German drug and chemicals company Bayer AG announced Monday, May 23, 2016, that it has made a $62 billion offer to buy U.S.-based crops and seeds specialist Monsanto. A merger between Bayer and Monsanto would put together two giant makers of chemicals, one that focuses on people and animals, and another that focuses on plants. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
FILE – In this Tuesday, April 15, 2014, file photo, bags of Dekalb corn seed, a Monsanto brand, lie stacked and ready for planting, in Auburn, Ill. German drug and chemicals company Bayer AG announced Monday, May 23, 2016, that it has made a $62 billion offer to buy U.S.-based crops and seeds specialist Monsanto. A merger between Bayer and Monsanto would put together two giant makers of chemicals, one that focuses on people and animals, and another that focuses on plants. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)
FILE – In this Wednesday, May 13, 2015, file photo, Bayer Pharmaceuticals employees shop at the employee shop in the company’s facility in Whippany, N.J. German drug and chemicals company Bayer AG announced Monday, May 23, 2016, that it has made a $62 billion offer to buy U.S.-based crops and seeds specialist Monsanto. A merger between Bayer and Monsanto would put together two giant makers of chemicals, one that focuses on people and animals, and another that focuses on plants. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
FILE – In this Wednesday, May 13, 2015, file photo, a Bayer Pharmaceuticals employee shops at the employee shop in the company’s facility in Whippany, N.J. German drug and chemicals company Bayer AG announced Monday, May 23, 2016, that it has made a $62 billion offer to buy U.S.-based crops and seeds specialist Monsanto. A merger between Bayer and Monsanto would put together two giant makers of chemicals, one that focuses on people and animals, and another that focuses on plants. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)