Latest Data Confirm Imidacloprid Remains Highly Efficacious After More Than a Decade of use

Monheim, Germany (ots/PRNewswire) - In a study
published online last week in Medical and Veterinary Entomology,
international experts reported the latest data on flea susceptibility
to imidacloprid, revealing that after more than a decade of
widespread use around the world, there is no evidence of resistance
to this invaluable treatment.

The study looked at data compiled between 2002 and 2009 by the
International Flea Susceptibility Monitoring (FSM) programme from
monitoring centres in Australia, Germany, France, UK and USA. The
data showed that, of the more than one thousand samples tested over
the past eight years, all were confirmed to be susceptible to
imidacloprid.

"These results are great news for veterinarians and pet owners
alike," said Dr Byron Blagburn, Distinguished University Professor,
College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, USA. "They show
that imidacloprid, one of the most widely used active ingredients for
flea control in pets, remains as effective against fleas now as it
was when it was first launched."

Imidacloprid is the key active ingredient in Advantage(R) and
related products developed for the effective control of fleas and
other parasites in companion animals.

The International FSM programme is the first and only monitoring
initiative in the field of companion animal parasites. The FSM
initiative includes a group of internationally renowned, independent
researchers who work together with Bayer Animal Health to monitor the
susceptibility of fleas to imidacloprid.

"In order to prevent resistance to treatments such as
imidacloprid, careful and coordinated monitoring is essential in
order to detect as early as possible any potential shifts in
susceptibility. The FSM programme is unique in terms of geographical
scale and duration. It is an excellent example of a pharmaceutical
company collaborating with academic organisations to ensure the
efficacy and safety of its products," said Ian Denholm, Principal
Scientist, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK.

Bayer Animal Health supported the initiation of the FSM, in
partnership with an international panel of experts, in order to
monitor the susceptibility of flea populations to imidacloprid, the
active ingredient of Advantage(R). "We are delighted to see that,
once again, the data from the FSM programme show that veterinary
professionals and pet owners can continue to trust Advantage(R) to
provide effective, reliable flea control for companion animals," said
Sarah Weston, Global Veterinary Services Manager at Bayer Animal
Health.

About the Flea Susceptibility Monitoring (FSM) program

The FSM is a large-scale international program based on a
monitoring methodology which utilises flea eggs collected from the
field in the US, Germany, UK, France and Australia. Egg collection is
carried out by a network of veterinarians and the samples analysed in
four investigating laboratories based in three countries. The FSM was
set up in 1999 and to date has not detected any reduced
susceptibility to imidacloprid. A dedicated team of 15 people
including independent experts in veterinary parasitology, entomology
and molecular biology, in addition to Bayer personnel, work together
to manage the FSM program.

About Bayer HealthCare

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in
the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer
HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of more than EUR
15.9 billion (2009), is one of the world's leading, innovative
companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is
based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global
activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and
Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and
manufacture products that will improve human and animal health
worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 53.400
employees and is represented in more than 100 countries.

Find more information at http://www.bayerhealthcare.com.

With a turnover of EUR977 million (2009) Bayer HealthCare's
Animal Health Division is one of the world's leading manufacturers of
veterinary drugs. The division manufactures and markets more than 100
different veterinary drugs and care products for livestock and
companion animals.

Forward-Looking Statements

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 annual and interim reports to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and in
our reports filed 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 confirm
them to future events or developments.

Contact:
Kathrin Statz, +49-2173-384019
kathrin.statz@bayerhealthcare.com

Rückfragehinweis:
CONTACT: Kathrin Statz, +49-2173-384019,
kathrin.statz@bayerhealthcare.com

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