Bayer HealthCare sees growth in 2010

Bayer HealthCare has seen a 5.8 percent growth in annual sales in the last 12 months, according to the Bayer group's new financial report.

The multinational organisation's health-related business unit generated 16.91 billion euros (14.42 billion pounds) during 2010, with pharmaceutical sales growing by 4.2 percent during the period.

Top-selling treatments included the haemophilia drug Kogenate, which passed the one billion euro mark in annual sales for the first time, while oncology therapy Nexavar also gained traction.

Bayer noted that healthcare sales were impacted somewhat by the effects of increased generic competition, but stated that it expects to see an accelerated growth rate in 2011 on the back of new drug launches.

Management board chairman Dr Marijn Dekkers said: "Thanks to our strong product pipeline, we remain optimistic for the years to come."

Last week, Bayer HealthCare commenced a new clinical trial of Nexavar in order to gauge its efficacy as a breast cancer treatment when combined with the chemotherapeutic agent capecitabine.