Who owns bayer healthcare?

When it comes to multinational pharmaceutical companies, the question of ownership can be a tricky one. Corporations shuffle money and power between different subsidiaries, countries, and shareholders in ways that would make even the slickest accountant’s head spin. But fear not! We’re here to untangle the knot of who owns Bayer Healthcare.

What is Bayer Healthcare?

Before we dive into the juicy details, let’s get our bearings straight. Just what is this “Bayer Healthcare” anyway? You may have heard of their famous aspirin brand or seen some ads for their diabetes management products. But there’s more to it than that.

Bayer AG is a German conglomerate with its fingers in everything from agriculture to material sciences. Its healthcare division focuses on pharmaceuticals (prescription drugs), consumer health (over-the-counter medications), and medical devices.

Now you might be wondering: why did we specify “healthcare” rather than just asking about who owns all of Bayer AG? Well, because life loves complexity! And also because Bayer recently spun off its animal health division into a separate company called Elanco Animal Health Inc., so technically speaking, someone else does own those bits now.

A Brief History Lesson

Let’s step back in time for a moment to understand how we got here.

Bayer AG itself was founded way back in 1863 by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Wescott as a dye-making company called Farbenfabriken vormals Friedr. Einhorn & Cie.. Yeah… try saying that three times fast!

It wasn’t until over 20 years later that they started producing chemical products like aspirin (originally marketed under the name Aspirin™) which quickly became one of their most successful ventures along with insecticides (like Glyphosate, but more on that later).

Bayer AG gobbled up other companies along the way, like Monsanto and Schering in more recent years.

So who owns Bayer Healthcare now? The answer is a bit complicated.

The Current State of Affairs

Here’s what we can say for sure: as of 2021, most of Bayer AG is still owned by its shareholders – the largest being BlackRock Inc., Allianz SE, and Norges Bank Investment Management.

But wait! There’s more!

The other big piece to consider is whether Bayer Healthcare has any subsidiaries or affiliates that operate under different ownership structures. In fact, they do! Here are just a few examples:

Consumer Health

  • Dr. Scholl’s (foot care)
  • Coppertone (sunscreen)
  • Claritin (allergy medication)

These brands technically fall under “Bayer Consumer Health,” which operates as a joint venture between Bayer AG and Merck & Co., Inc.. Yep, that Merck… because pharma conspiracy theories weren’t already confusing enough without sharing names with your rivals!

Pharmaceuticals

Bayer Healthcare also collaborates on certain drugs with other companies through licensing agreements:
– Eylea for eye diseases in collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.
– Xarelto for blood-clotting prevention currently marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV in Europe where it was developed jointly by both companies.

On top of all this jazz there are some pretty weird partnerships you might not expect at first glance such as partnering with CureVac . Also don’t forget about Glyphosate , an herbicide that wouldn’t normally make it into a healthcare article except does its use have health impacts?

That said though unless you’re particularly invested in stock markets odds are good that most people reading this aren’t directly affected by these specific corporate entanglements much day-to-day life goes on without needing to delve deep into the corporate origins of our favourite brands.

Conclusion

So who owns Bayer Healthcare? Well, it’s complicated. Though mostly shareholders, there are a variety of subsidiaries and contracts that make up the broader picture. But hopefully now you have at least some idea of where to start if this information is ever particularly pertinent in your life (or trivia game) going forward.

Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to go take some aspirin and soak our feet in Coppertone sunscreen because… well, why not?

This article was brought to you by “Glyphosate: The Herbicide You Love To Hate!” Just kidding. Sorta.

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