Into the future (Sabong News)

At its annual Pharma Media Day 2022, Bayer presented the ongoing transformation of its pharmaceuticals business, aimed at delivering long-term, sustainable business growth by bringing new options for patients. “We are taking bold steps into the future of drug development, investing strongly in areas at the forefront of the biomedical and technological revolution. Our leadership in cardiology, radiology, and women’s health is recognized worldwide, and we are expanding our presence in oncology,” said Stefan Oelrich, Bayer’s pharmaceuticals division president. The company is building on its existing competencies, such as the expertise around small molecules, while expanding into new modalities—cell and gene therapies. The company is advancing around 50 projects in ongoing clinical trials. In cardiovascular disease, Bayer is delivering its late-stage pipeline, including recent launches of Finerenone (as Kerendia or Firialta, depending on country and region) and Vericiguat (Verquvo). The heart and the kidneys are closely linked in health and disease. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease with many patients at advanced stages needing dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive. Patients are also three times more likely to die from a cardiovascular event than those with T2D alone, so early diagnosis and treatment is important to slow CKD progression. CKD affects more than 160 million people with T2D worldwide. Bayer has a strong scientific and clinical base for Finerenone, including the largest Phase III cardiorenal outcomes clinical trial program to evaluate the occurrence of progression of kidney disease as well as fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events in more than 13,000 patients with CKD and T2D. Finerenone is being investigated beyond the current indication in heart failure as well as non-diabetic kidney disease. ‘We are taking bold steps into the future of drug development, investing strongly in areas at the forefront of the biomedical and technological revolution.’ Finerenone was approved under the brand name Kerendia by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and as Firialta in other countries and regions. It was just recently granted marketing authorization in the European Union and has also been submitted for marketing authorization in China and other countries. Heart failure is a devastating disease affecting more than 60 million people worldwide. Bayer’s symptomatic chronic heart failure treatment Vericiguat (Verquvo) provides a specific approach to managing chronic heart failure patients following a recent decompensation event, also known as a worsening heart failure event. A worsening heart failure event can mark the start of a downward spiral of disease progression and repeated hospitalizations. In fact, 56 percent of patients are back in hospital within 30 days. Vericiguat works in conjunction with existing approaches through a different mode of action. It restores the deficient NO-sGC-cGMP pathway, which plays a critical role in the progression of heart failure, aggravating its symptoms. “We are unlocking the full potential of our assets through systematic data generation, multi-indication approaches as well as building on new digital business models,” said Christian Rommel, research & development head. Bayer is strongly positioned in the fast-growing medical imaging artificial intelligence (AI) market to provide solutions from diagnosis to care. In times of limited resources in healthcare systems, growing as well as aging populations and changing lifestyles contribute to an increase in chronic conditions—cardiovascular disease and cancer. AI bears vast potential for advancing radiology. “One of the most pressing concerns in medical imaging today is the exponential growth of imaging data and its complexity due to an increase in radiology examinations and the shortage of experienced medical staff to handle it,” said Zuzana Jirakova Trnkova, head of medical affairs. “Artificial intelligence can be a valuable tool that, when complementing the human expertise of radiologists and clinicians, offers vast potential to the healthcare industry and radiology in particular.”