Bayer AG today announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to transfer a large part of its Berlin-based small molecule research unit to Nuvisan, an international service provider for clinical studies, laboratory services and contract manufacturing with several sites and clinics in Germany and France. The strategic partnership will lay the foundation for a brand-new research entity to be established by Nuvisan in Berlin. At the same time, it will support Bayer’s increased focus on the flexibility and productivity of its R&D operating model. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"With Nuvisan we have found an excellent partner with a clear plan to build up a strong full-fledged research unit in Berlin together with our dedicated team of scientists," said Dr. Joerg Moeller, Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer AG's Pharmaceuticals Division and Head of Research and Development. "Nuvisan shares our vision that the new research center can become an important player in research partnering based on the joint know-how and the capabilities of our highly qualified scientists."
The Berlin-based research unit with around 400 workplaces comprises of a fully operational team specialized in small molecule research. The research center comes with capabilities and capacities spanning the entire drug discovery value chain, including Lead Discovery, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics, Investigational Toxicology, and Animal Management. Bayer will retain significant research activities in Berlin, which remains the headquarters for the company’s Pharmaceuticals Division and one of its major global research sites.
"With these new drug discovery capabilities and capacities, we do not only welcome a high-performance research team, but also obtain access to excellent specialty know-how and technology," says Dr. Dietrich Bruchmann, CEO and managing partner of Nuvisan. "The acquisition of the research unit and its location at the Bayer R&D campus will create an operational hub in the scientific excellence cluster Berlin and allow us to significantly accelerate the drug development process from discovery to clinical trials."
Bayer and Nuvisan will cooperate closely in the coming years to build the new research center. The transaction is expected to close mid of 2020 subject to successful completion of the consultation process with the employee representatives and the preparations for taking over the research activities.
About Nuvisan
The Nuvisan group generates sales of approx. € 55 million with currently about 420 highly qualified employees. It originated from LAB GmbH over 40 years ago and has been operating under the name NUVISAN with its headquarters in Neu-Ulm since 2010. The Nuvisan group as a Clinical Research Organization (CRO) and Contract Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) has six sites in Germany and France (Neu-Ulm, Berlin, Grafing, Gauting, Waltrop and Sophia-Antipolis) in addition to monitoring activities with offices in Argentina, Peru and Brazil as well as in the USA.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of 39.6 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.6 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.2 billion euros.