Working together for Health for all, Hunger for none

In today’s world, we value the things we took for granted – food on the table, medicine in the cabinet, and access to urgent medical treatment. COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of the networks that secure our healthcare and food supply – locally, nationally and globally.

We’ve pulled together and protected one another. We’ve washed our hands, worn masks and socially distanced. We’re catching our breath and trying to rebuild something better. But for more and more people, access to proper healthcare and a balanced nutrition is increasingly out of reach. As the access gap widens, the stakes become even higher. How can we build the flexibility and resiliency into our food and health systems? How can we help the millions around the world who suffered from hunger, and who lacked access to proper healthcare, even before the pandemic?

At Bayer, we have a vision of: Health for all, Hunger for none. We won’t achieve it alone and it won’t be easy, but we’re fully committed to making a lasting contribution. We’re working with government agencies, health authorities and other organizations around the world to support fight COVID-19. And we’ll keep going and innovating beyond the pandemic, because we have an obligation to those on the front line and behind the scenes who have kept us going – the farmers, healthcare professionals, and the everyday heroes of our communities.

Even as our attention has shifted to a new virus, serious diseases aren’t taking a break. And neither will we. The pandemic has shown us the critical importance of health and continued research in innovative treatments. We support the doctors and nurses who have sacrificed their own safety to protect ours. For those who suffer from heart failure and already had a worsening heart failure event, we’re developing a drug to reduce the risk of ending back up in the hospital. For men with prostate cancer, a new drug has been shown to prolong survival. 

We support the farmers around the world, so they can continue to grow enough food, more sustainably and more reliably. The pandemic has revealed and focused attention on the vulnerabilities in our supply chains, with farmers forced to destroy crops even as lines at food banks grew. We need to strengthen the food chain from end-to-end. We’re pioneering innovations in plant breeding and digital tools that enable farmers to generate better harvests using less resources. And we’re supporting collaboration across the supply chain, from farmers to retailers, to eliminate food waste and increase flexibility. So that more of a farmer’s harvest reaches our shelves, and more people around the world can put food on the table.

In a time when we’re all paying more attention to how we feel, we will make sure that everyday health is always within reach. Because in the middle of a pandemic self-care is a selfless act. We’re partnering with organizations to unlock access to vitamins and micronutrients for vulnerable pregnant women and children in underserved communities. Our digital solutions will empower patients to manage the conditions that afflict them. And we’ll continue to extend our reach to provide everyday health products to those who need them most. We won’t stop until everyone can get what they need to take care of their own health.

Realizing our vision will demand all our scientific expertise and a capacity to innovate that extends even beyond our four walls. But most of all, it will take the passion, commitment and ingenuity of our 100,000 people across the globe.

We can’t do this alone. But together, we can repair, rebuild and advance. Together, we will come back stronger. Together, we can improve quality of life for as many people as possible across the globe, while conserving the world’s natural resources. Together, we can take strides towards health for all, and hunger for none.