Bayer Establishes Cell and Gene Therapy Platform to Accelerate Prescription Drug Innovation

BERLIN, Dec. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer AGOn December 2Announced the establishment of a Cell and Gene Therapy (C&GT) platform within its Prescription Drugs division. Through this strategic platform, the company has further consolidated its nascent leadership position in the field, marking a highly transformative step in its business development.

Stefan Oelrich, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and Global Head of the Pharmaceuticals Division, stated: “This is a pivotal moment for Bayer. Cell and gene therapy are leading innovation in healthcare, and our goal is to be at the forefront of scientific advancement. The field of cell and gene therapy is growing at an unprecedented pace. The establishment of Bayer’s proprietary cell and gene therapy platform will significantly drive our progress in this area. It will complement the company’s existing cell and gene therapy R&D pipeline, which currently includes five advanced assets and is expected to deliver at least three new investigational drugs annually in the coming years.”

To expand its capabilities in the field of cell and gene therapy, Bayer is strengthening its internal relevant competencies while also leveraging external strategic partnerships, technology acquisitions, and licensing deals. Its goal is to establish a robust platform with broad applications across different therapeutic areas. For example, Bayer has acquired an industry-leading contract manufacturing organization for gene therapies. Combined with Bayer’s expertise and recent investments in product supply, this will help address the significant global demand gap in the development and production of gene therapies.

From a strategic perspective, Bayer focuses on specific areas of cell and gene therapy, such as stem cell therapies for various indications (with a focus on induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs), gene augmentation, gene editing, and allogeneic cell therapies. BlueRock, acquired in 2019, and AskBio, whose acquisition was successfully completed on December 1, 2020, are being integrated into Bayer’s cell and gene therapy platform as initial partners. Moreover, the company has acquired industry-leading expertise in gene augmentation and regenerative cell therapy. Bayer has established a highly promising cell and gene therapy R&D pipeline, comprising five advanced assets and more than 15 preclinical candidates.

Integrating external innovation with Bayer’s in-house expertise is a key value driver, particularly in the fast-evolving and highly competitive field of cell and gene therapy. Under the operating model of Bayer’s Cell and Gene Therapy Platform, partners retain operational autonomy and full responsibility for developing and advancing their portfolios and technologies. This approach is essential to preserving their entrepreneurial culture and positioning Bayer as the partner of choice. The role of Bayer’s Cell and Gene Therapy Platform is to provide strategic guidance, ensuring that its constituent units complement one another effectively and seamlessly integrate best-in-class biotechnology and pharmaceutical expertise.

Wolfram Carius, Head of Bayer’s newly established Cell and Gene Therapy Platform, stated: “The emerging biorevolution has created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a new era for Bayer. A dedicated cell and gene therapy platform is critical to accelerating innovation at its source, ensuring the identification and delivery of viable therapies to patients with urgent unmet needs.”

As part of Bayer’s Prescription Drugs Division, the Cell and Gene Therapy Platform will integrate multiple key functions to support the entire value chain of cell and gene therapy research and development. This includes expertise in research and preclinical development, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC), clinical development, commercialization, strategy implementation, and project management. With high flexibility, the platform will coordinate operational activities from scientific research to product launch, aiming to build and maintain a sustainable R&D pipeline and bring breakthrough scientific achievements to market as quickly as possible.