Bayer Launches Calantic® Digital Solutions to Expand AI-Driven Medical Imaging Diagnostics

● Calantic is a digital solution for medical imaging diagnosis, designed to significantly enhance the efficiency of disease triage, lesion detection, quantitative analysis, and diagnostic workflows.

● Calantic’s digital solutions connect to multiple AI imaging diagnostic tools via a cloud platform and are automatically integrated into standard medical imaging workflows.

● The commercial deployment of Calantic, with its initial markets including the United States and several European countries

● Calantic will serve as a strategic complement to Bayer’s multi-product portfolio of contrast media, high-pressure injection systems, and digital solutions

Berlin, June 28, 2022——Bayer Officially Announces the Launch of Calantic^®Digital Solutions. This innovative digital platform hosts a suite of AI-powered medical imaging applications, effectively empowering radiologists and their teams to enhance performance in disease triage, lesion detection, quantitative analysis, and diagnostic efficiency. By introducing the Calantic Digital Solutions platform, Bayer will expand its comprehensive portfolio, which includes contrast media, medical devices, software, and services. The new platform will support healthcare professionals in managing patients throughout the entire cycle from diagnosis to treatment.

Dr. Ryan Lee

Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, USA

(Einstein Healthcare Network)

Director of Radiology

“Artificial intelligence holds the potential to transform the healthcare sector, particularly in the field of medical imaging diagnosis. It can convert ever-increasing volumes of data into high-value insights and recommendations, guiding radiologists and their teams in making more precise clinical decisions. Driving innovation in this area and expanding the adoption of digital tools are crucial to meeting the growing demand for improved diagnostic efficiency and accuracy.”

Gerd Krueger

Bayer Prescription Drugs Division, Diagnostic Imaging Business

Global Head

“Bayer is a leader in the field of diagnostic imaging. The Calantic digital solution is built upon Bayer’s profound understanding of medical diagnostics and therapeutics, reinforcing our commitment to continuously accelerating innovation for the benefit of patients and physicians. Our mission is to provide an ecosystem that integrates third-party AI applications with Bayer’s products, delivering state-of-the-art, disease-oriented comprehensive solutions to radiologists and their teams. With the Calantic digital solution, we will enter the fastest-growing segment of the diagnostic imaging market and take a significant step forward in our transition from a product supplier to a solutions provider.”

Hu Wenjing

General Manager, Bayer Imaging Diagnostics China

“The global launch of Calantic by Bayer is highly significant, marking Bayer’s continued commitment to innovation as a leader in the field of diagnostic imaging and its ongoing exploration of advanced diagnostic imaging solutions. We look forward to introducing Calantic to China at an early date and to further collaborating with China’s leading partners across industry, academia, and research to better serve healthcare providers and patients in China.”

Calantic Digital Solutions is a suite of AI-powered applications supporting digital imaging diagnosis, designed to assist radiologists and their teams at critical stages of patient care. The platform offers AI vendors a neutral, cloud-based comprehensive solution infrastructure, with an expanding portfolio of applications aimed at supporting disease triage, lesion detection, quantitative analysis, and improved diagnostic efficiency. By automating routine image interpretation tasks and quantitative analyses, the platform effectively streamlines radiology department workflows and saves time for radiologists and their teams. The platform is structured according to anatomical regions and radiological diagnostic workflows. Initially launched AI applications focus on thoracic and neurological conditions, such as pulmonary nodule detection and triage for potential intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and large vessel occlusion (LVO). Calantic Digital Solutions will gradually introduce additional disease-specific application packages. Furthermore, Bayer provides installation, configuration, and training services for the platform and its AI applications. The initial launch markets include the United States and select European countries, with expansion to additional regions pending regulatory approvals in each country.

Artificial intelligence in medical imaging is the fastest-growing segment within the overall imaging diagnostics market, with global sales reaching €400 million. Market growth is poised to accelerate significantly, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) projected to exceed 25% by 2025. Driven by population aging and lifestyle changes, the prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer continues to rise, fueling unprecedented demand for AI-driven innovations. Consequently, there is growing demand for medical imaging solutions that can diagnose diseases, guide treatment decisions, and support treatment planning. Artificial intelligence can streamline diagnostic workflows and increase the volume of radiology examinations.

Time pressure and heavy workloads have left many radiologists exhausted, underscoring the growing importance of artificial intelligence in medical imaging. Even more concerning is the severe shortage of trained radiologists.¹. Furthermore, diagnostic errors increase with longer overtime hours: a paper published in 2018 stated that approximately 40 million imaging-related diagnostic errors occur globally each year.². Artificial intelligence technology can effectively help manage the increasing workload of radiologists and their teams, ultimately improving patient care.

Everyone deserves clear answers about their health, starting with early and accurate diagnosis. As a life sciences company with a century-long heritage in radiology, Bayer is committed to delivering excellence across all areas, from innovative products to high-quality services. Its portfolio includes contrast agents for computed tomography (CT), X-ray, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhanced examinations; precise, intelligent high-pressure injection systems for enhanced or nuclear medicine examinations; informatics solutions that support efficient and optimized patient care; and widely recognized medical education and training programs. This division generated €1.8 billion in sales in 2021. Bayer aims for its diagnostic imaging business to grow at a rate exceeding the market’s average annual growth rate of 5% by 2030. Furthermore, Bayer is making substantial investments in research and development related to artificial intelligence technologies to further drive innovation in the field of medical imaging. Each of these products provides answers and clear direction throughout the entire journey from diagnosis to treatment, empowering radiologists in their work.

As a multinational enterprise, Bayer possesses core competencies in the health and agriculture sectors of life sciences. The company is committed to helping people overcome the major challenges posed by global population growth and aging through its products and services, thereby contributing to human well-being and the prosperity of the planet. Bayer is dedicated to promoting sustainability and generating a positive impact through its business operations. Meanwhile, the Group enhances profitability and creates value through technological innovation and business growth. Globally, the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality. In fiscal year 2021, Bayer employed approximately 100,000 people and generated sales of €44.1 billion. Research and development expenditures, excluding special items, amounted to €5.3 billion. For more information, please visit www.bayer.com.

1. The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2018 to 2033. AAMC. https://www.aamc.org/media/45976/download; the Royal Colleague of Radiology: Clinical Radiology UK workforce census report 2020: https://www.rcr.ac.uk/system/files/publication/field_publication_files/clinical-radiology-uk-workforce-census-2020-report.pdf

2. Fundamentals of Diagnostic Error in Imaging, Itri et al. (2018) https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/rg.2018180021