23 May 2006 - Bayer Grant Promotes Groundbreaking Hemophilia Research and Education
Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program continues to be a critical source of funding for hemophilia research and education Vancouver, B.C. — Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals (Bayer) announced today it is awarding $2.75 million in grant money through the Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program (BHAP). The funding will support 25 cutting-edge research and education projects in hemophilia and related bleeding disorders. Bayer honored the 26 recipients during a special awards dinner and ceremony in conjunction with the 2006 WFH World Congress in Vancouver. The awardees represent 13 countries, and many of the research programs will support efforts to improve the lives of people around the world who are living with hemophilia. One recipient of the 2006 Special Projects Award, Dr. Julie Curtin, Children’s Hospital of Westmead, Australia, plans to study the impact of exercise in children with hemophilia. "So many parents are worried that exercise can cause more harm than good in children with hemophilia," said Curtin. "Thanks to this grant from Bayer, I will have the opportunity to study the health and quality of life implications of exercise, which could have a dramatic impact on the lives of children around the world." BHAP supports projects in four categories: Early Career Investigators, Clinical Scholarships, Special Projects, and Caregivers Education. “We need programs like BHAP because of a shortage of important funding for hemophilia research. Bayer’s awards help encourage young, bright researchers, clinicians, and caregivers to focus their careers on hemophilia,” said Dr. David Lillicrap, M.D., Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada, and chairman of the review committee that selected the recipients. “This year’s awardees continue to represent the best and the brightest in the hemophilia field.” Since the program’s inception in 2002, nearly 100 hemophilia professionals have received grants totaling $11 million. The professional projects supported by BHAP have resulted in 29 scientific publications, nine full papers and 20 abstracts, many of which have been featured in such publications as the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis and Haemophilia and in abstracts at the American Society for Hematology. The 2006 recipients, their institutions, and countries are listed below by category: Early Career Investigator Award Recipients: Clinical Scholarship Award Recipients: Special Projects Award Recipients: Caregiver Award Recipients: BHAP remains one of the largest programs of its kind. “Bayer fully intends to stay committed to this program. We passionately believe that many projects funded through this program will help shape the future of hemophilia care,” said Michael Fournel, Senior Vice President, Research & Development, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Hematology/Cardiology. “These individuals are constantly exploring new frontiers in hemophilia research and education, and this program is just one of the ways Bayer helps support them.” About the Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program About Hemophilia About Bayer HealthCare AG The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The new Pharmaceuticals division was established on January 1, 2006, and comprises the former Biological Products and Pharmaceutical divisions. Pharmaceuticals now has three business units: Hematology/Cardiology, Oncology, and Primary Care. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. The products enhance well-being and quality of life by diagnosing, preventing, and treating diseases. Information about Bayer HealthCare can be found at www.bayerhealthcare.com. Forward-looking statements
Dr. Junmei Chen, Puget Sound Blood Center, Seattle, Wash., USA
Dr. Bradley Aouizerat, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif., USA
Dr. Jordan Shavit, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., USA
Mr. Stefan Heinz, J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
Dr. Stefano Duga, Dept. of Biology and Genetics for Medical Sciences, Milan, Italy
Dr. Vikram Mathews, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
Dr. Tina Dutt, Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen Univ. Hospitals, Liverpool, UK
Dr. Antioco Meloni Bonomi HTC, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Dr. Joannis Panotopoulos, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Dr. Yi Fang Ruijin, Hospital Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Shanghai, PR China
Dr. Hsuan-Yu Lin, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
Dr. Nigel Key, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., USA
Dr. Dougald Monroe, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., USA
Dr. Peter Lenting, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Prof. Johannes Oldenburg, University Clinic, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Dr. Massimo Morfini Azienda Ospedaliero – Universitaria Careggi, Firenze, Italy
Dr. Julie Curtin, Children’s Hospital, Westmead, Australia
Dr. Midori Shima, Nara Medical University, Nara, Japan
Diane Bissonnette, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada
Mercy Devadarisini, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
Kumar Ajoy, Hemophilia Society – Durgapur Chapter, West Bengal, India
Luz Garcia, Hospital del Niño, Panama, Rep. of Panama
Kumar Mitra & Kashinath Saha, Haemophilia Society – Calcutta Chapter, West Bengal, India
Thomas Samuel, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
Gopal Singh, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
Bayer believes the Hemophilia Awards Program can improve the lives of patients with hemophilia by supporting research and education worldwide. Parties who wish to apply for the 2007 Bayer Hemophilia Awards should submit a letter of intent by November 30, 2006 to be considered. A 13-member Grant Review and Award Committee, representing clinicians and researchers from around the world, selects the group of recipients each year. For complete information on the Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program, award categories, and submission process, visit the Web site at www.bayer-hemophilia-awards.com.
Approximately 400,000 people around the world have hemophilia. Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. The disease is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins, known as factor VIII or IX. The most common form of the disease is hemophilia A, or classic hemophilia, in which the clotting factor VIII is either deficient or defective. Hemophilia B is characterized by deficient or defective factor IX.
Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer HealthCare generated sales amounting to approximately 9.4 billion euros and employed 33.800 people worldwide in 2005.
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 public reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and 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 conform them to future events or developments.
