Bayer Team wins the “Deutscher Zukunftspreis” awarded by the German President

The “Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2009” of the German President has been awarded to an R & D team from Bayer. The team received the prize for achievements in technology and innovation from the German Federal President Horst Köhler in Berlin. The Bayer scientists from Wuppertal were honored with the prestigious award for the development of the new anticoagulant drug rivaroxaban (Xarelto®).

“I am delighted about this outstanding recognition of our research team. It demonstrates once again the high significance of research and innovation at Bayer,” said Werner Wenning, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG. “The ‘Deutscher Zukunftspreis,’ the highest innovation award in Germany, puts the spotlight on science. In doing so, it ensures that the potential of science, technology and medicine become more firmly anchored in the public consciousness,” added Wenning.

Andreas Fibig, CEO of Bayer Schering Pharma AG congratulated and thanked all members of the Xarelto-team: “This is an outstanding achievement which you well deserve! At the same time this proofs the innovative strength of our company and is a great motivator for all of Bayer Schering Pharma,” he said.

The three Bayer-researchers and their teams as well as many other scientists have developed a new molecule for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolism: rivaroxaban. Thromboembolism is a serious disease affecting millions of people every year – often with a fatal outcome. In the western world, venous thromboembolism kills more than twice as many people as breast cancer, prostate cancer, HIV/Aids and road traffic accidents combined.

Rivaroxaban is an anticoagulant with a novel mechanism of action. It selectively targets a pivotal stage in the blood clotting process and inhibits the activated enzyme Factor X, which plays a key role in the development of thrombosis. Rivaroxaban offers patients and doctors advantages over the current standard therapies. Studies have shown the superior efficacy of rivaroxaban in preventing venous thromboembolism following elective hip and knee replacement surgery in adult patients. In addition, rivaroxaban is administered in tablet form and does not have to be injected like the current standard therapies. The German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) nominated the rivaroxaban project team for the “Deutscher Zukunftspreis”.

Blood clots can break apart and travel through the bloodstream, blocking blood flow to vital organs. VTE includes DVT, a blood clot in a deep vein (usually in the leg), and PE, a blood clot in the lung. Both are serious, life-threatening – but often preventable – conditions. Patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery are at high risk for VTE because during hip or knee replacement procedures, the large veins of the leg that carry blood back to the heart can be damaged, significantly increasing the risk of developing a clot. In fact, venous blood clots occur in 40-60 percent of patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery who do not receive preventive care. In the five largest EU-member states, approximately 450,000 total hip - and approximately 300,000 total knee replacement surgeries are being conducted annually. In the EU, there are in excess of 1.5 million blood clot events annually and these are responsible for killing some 544,000 people each year.