Bayer HealthCare Cleared to Acquire C...( Addition of Leading Calcium Brand E...),Health

Addition of Leading Calcium Brand Enriches Consumer Care Division's Key

Nutritionals Product Portfolio

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare (BHC) announced today that its Consumer Care Division has received regulatory approvals necessary to acquire the Citracal(R) line of over-the-counter (OTC) calcium supplements in the United States. The U.S. portion of the transaction with Mission Pharmacal was closed yesterday evening at which point Bayer assumed full management of the business in the U.S.

As indicated earlier this year when the proposed acquisition was announced, the addition of Citracal increases Bayer Consumer Care's market presence in the United States, the world's largest OTC market. It will also continue to build upon the company's already strong nutritionals business, which includes leading brands such as One-A-Day(R), Supradyn(R), Berocca(R) and Redoxon(R).

"We're excited to take ownership of the Citracal brand as it offers very attractive growth potential both in the critically important US market and for our nutritionals portfolio, which is a key growth driver for us now and in the future," said Gary Balkema, President of Bayer HealthCare's Consumer Care Division.

Citracal is primarily sold in North America and saw net sales of $47.0 million (EUR 36.2 million) for fiscal year 2007.

About Bayer HealthCare AG

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. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma and as Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals in the US and Canada. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide.

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