Bayer AG is a German chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in Barmen (today a part of Wuppertal), Germany in 1863. It is headquartered in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and well known for its original brand of aspirin. Bayer invented aspirin in 1897.
Bayer is one of the most recognized pharmaceutical companies in the world, but its rise is a fascinating story. Bayer’s first and most well-known product is Aspirin, which was developed in 1897. A year later, the company followed up by marketing heroin as a cough suppressant and a non-addictive substitute for morphine and led the commercialization of the drug.
During World War I, Bayer lost its trademark of Asprin in the U.S., after the company’s assets and trademarks were seized during America’s campaign against Germany. Bayer lost its U.S. business after World War II when it was judged for participation in Nazi war crimes through its parent company, IG Farben. However, IG Farben was broken up after WWII and Bayer became independent again, and in 1978 it bought back its name in the U.S.
