Bayer accelerates expansion of new drug portfolio

Strengthening portfolios centered on cardiovascular-renal disease, oncology, and ophthalmology

Korea’s clinical trial capabilities gain attention…full-scale launch of collaboration programs

Bayer expressed confidence in its growth prospects, highlighting its new drug portfolio –which focuses on cardiovascular and renal disease, oncology, and ophthalmology -- along with next-generation pipelines based on cell and gene therapies.

Despite growing pressure from patent expirations and biosimilar competition, the company believes it has established new growth drivers beyond its traditional reliance on blockbuster products. In particular, Bayer identified Korea as a strategic market where the value of innovative therapies can be realized rapidly, while also signaling plans to expand clinical collaborations and startup partnerships.

Sebastian Guth, Chief Operating Officer of Bayer Pharmaceuticals

Sebastian Guth, Chief Operating Officer of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, recently told reporters, “Bayer is entering a new phase of growth based on its strongest-ever portfolio and innovative pipeline. We are focusing on providing first-in-class or best-in-class treatment options in areas with high unmet medical needs.”

The global pharmaceutical industry is currently facing a triple burden of patent cliffs, drug pricing pressure, and rising drug development costs, intensifying competition to secure next-generation growth engines. Bayer is no exception, facing the patent expiration of Xarelto (rivaroxaban) and biosimilar competition against Eylea (aflibercept) 2mg.

However, Bayer expressed confidence that it can sustain growth momentum through new drug competitiveness in cardiovascular-renal disease, oncology, and ophthalmology, along with future pipelines based on precision medicine and cell and gene therapy.

In fact, Bayer secured a total of 5 regulatory achievements last year, including 3 new drug approvals and 2 expanded indications, while also generating positive results from 6 late-stage global clinical trials. Based on this, the company has set goals of restoring growth after 2027 and achieving a 30% operating margin by 2030. According to Guth, Bayer is strategically concentrating on oncology, cardiovascular-renal disease, neurology, rare diseases, and immunology as core therapeutic areas.

Kerendia, Nubeqa, and Eylea emerges as growth drivers…“Portfolio transition accelerates”

Bayer’s confidence stems from the emergence of new growth products. The company believes Kerendia (finerenone) and Nubeqa (darolutamide) are driving tangible sales growth, while high-dose Eylea (8mg) is establishing itself as a new treatment option in ophthalmology and filling the gap left by existing blockbuster products.

Kerendia, in particular, is emerging as a key pillar in Bayer’s integrated cardiovascular-renal treatment strategy. After being approved in Korea for chronic kidney disease associated with type 2 diabetes, Kerendia recently secured an additional indication for heart failure with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or greater. While traditional heart failure treatment has mainly focused on reduced ejection fraction heart failure, treatment options for preserved ejection fraction heart failure have remained relatively limited, and Bayer sees strong potential for changing treatment paradigms in this area.

Guth said, “Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is an area with high unmet medical need in Korea as well. We are focusing on how Kerendia can benefit patients in actual clinical practice.”

The prostate cancer treatment Nubeqa is also a core growth driver within Bayer’s oncology portfolio. Nubeqa has expanded its indications in Korea from high-risk non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer to metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, broadening its treatment scope. Recently, reimbursement criteria for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer were also established, increasing expectations for improved patient access. Bayer aims to strengthen its leadership in prostate cancer treatment through Nubeqa while also creating future synergies with radiopharmaceutical-based therapies.

In ophthalmology, Eylea 8mg was highlighted as a next-generation growth driver. With the aging population and the rise in chronic diseases leading to an increase in patients with age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema, the drug is considered significant because it has the potential to extend treatment intervals, thereby reducing both the financial burden on patients and the workload on healthcare providers. Bayer holds commercial rights for Eylea outside the United States, and the drug is continuing to grow in multiple countries, including Korea.

Guth said, “Nubeqa and Kerendia recorded combined growth of 68% last year and exceeded market expectations. Even amid difficult conditions such as the competition  brought on by the introduction of Xarelto generics and Eylea 2mg biosimilars, the growth potential of our core products is translating into tangible results.”

Accelerating development of cell and gene therapies…”Targeting root causes beyond symptom relief”

Bayer positioned cell and gene therapies and precision medicine at the forefront of its future growth strategy. The key concept is “disease modification,” which seeks not merely to manage symptoms but to alter disease progression itself.

Parkinson’s disease was presented as a representative example. Bayer is simultaneously developing both cell therapy and gene therapy approaches for Parkinson’s disease.

The cell therapy ‘bemdaneprocel’ is a one-time treatment designed to replace lost dopamine-producing neurons and is currently in late-stage clinical development. Meanwhile, the gene therapy ‘AB-1005(ametefgene parvec)’ is being developed to restore neurological function and slow disease progression. Guth explained that these represent entirely new approaches in the field of Parkinson’s disease, where fundamental therapeutic progress has been limited for decades.

Guth said, “Parkinson’s disease is an area where there has been little significant therapeutic progress for decades, and Bayer is making meaningful breakthroughs. Because Parkinson’s disease has a severe impact not only on patients but also on their families, we hope both therapies can be developed successfully.”

As a next-generation cardiovascular pipeline, Guth highlighted Bayer’s factor XI inhibitor asundexian.

Although asundexian faced a temporary development setback for the atrial fibrillation indication, the drug regained momentum by securing positive results in late-stage clinical trials for secondary stroke prevention after strategic adjustments. Bayer expects this drug to set a new standard of care in the future.

Guth said, “We experienced setbacks where the research did not meet expectations, but after reviewing the scientific evidence again, we regained confidence in the direction. It is important to learn and stay focused even in the face of failure.”

Guth also identified ‘225Ac-PSMA Trillium,’ currently being developed for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, as one of Bayer’s major pipelines.

225Ac-PSMA Trillium is a targeted alpha radioligand therapy directed at prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). Bayer plans to expand its prostate cancer treatment strategy by adding next-generation radiopharmaceuticals to the prostate cancer portfolio already built around Nubeqa.

“Prostate cancer is an area with high global prevalence and significant unmet medical need. We expect this therapy to bring meaningful changes to patient treatment.”

“Korea is a strategic market”…expanding clinical collaboration and startup partnerships

One of the messages repeatedly emphasized during the interview was the strategic importance of the Korean market. Bayer views Korea not merely as a sales market, but as a global innovation hub with strong scientific capabilities and rapid adoption of innovation.

In fact, as of 2025, Korea was found to conduct the second-largest number of investigator-initiated research (IIR) studies worldwide, following the United States.

Guth remarked, “Korea’s scientific capabilities are beyond doubt, and the country also possesses outstanding R&D capabilities. There are active efforts aimed not merely at improving existing treatments but at developing first-in-class or best-in-class treatments.”

Starting this year, Bayer officially launched “Bayer Co.Lab Connect Seoul,” a collaboration program targeting domestic biotech startups.

This program is the Korean version of Bayer’s global life science incubator model previously operated in major innovation hubs worldwide. Rather than simply providing financial support, the program focuses on offering global expertise in regulatory strategy, commercialization, market access, and pricing.

“Innovation cannot be achieved alone; Collaboration among academia, startups, and companies is important. Our collaboration with Korea has now moved beyond discussion and entered the execution stage.”

At the same time, Bayer plans to use artificial intelligence as a key R&D driver to improve productivity across drug development, clinical research, and pharmacovigilance. The company aims to increase R&D productivity and shorten the time required for innovative therapies to reach patients by 2030 through AI-based technologies.

“The advancement of AI-based technologies is fundamentally changing the paradigm of drug development, and research capabilities that seemed impossible only a few years ago are now becoming a reality. Bayer will actively leverage this technological turning point to accelerate R&D innovation and ensure that we achieve our stated goals.”