Bayer'sS Contour USB Blood Glucose Meter Wins Medical Design Excellence Award

Online, September 8, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The MDEA recognizes excellence in medical product design and manufacturing. The independent judges for the prestigious award, sponsored by the specialist journal Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry, acknowledged the great innovative power and particularly user-friendly operation of Bayer's CONTOUR USB meter.

With the Bayer CONTOUR USB meter, up to 2,000 stored blood glucose measurements can be transferred without cables via the device's USB interface that plugs directly into a computer. Then, the blood glucose measurements can be displayed in graph or table form using the integrated diabetes management software that provides diabetes patients and healthcare professionals with access to blood sugar data and trends to help optimize diabetes management.

"I like its light weight, the design and the way that the information can be read out - it's so easy!" said jury member Dr. Denise Korniewicz, Professor and Senior Associate Dean from the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies. "Visually, CONTOUR USB's glossy black design also marks the beginning of a new, stylish and elegant generation of blood glucose meters. With its slim line shape, rounded contours and light weight (43 grams), it is a stylish and modern device," Korniewicz concluded.

The Medical Design Excellence Awards were presented in a total of 10 categories. Bayer's CONTOUR USB meter won the award in the in-vitro diagnostics category. The Bayer Product Development Team was presented with a trophy at an awards ceremony in New York City, during the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) East Conference and Exposition.

"Winning a Medical Design Excellence Award is quite an honor," said Rick Kates, Global Senior Director, Digital Health, who led the CONTOUR USB meter development team at Bayer. "We're gratified that the innovation and hard work that went into bringing this product to life has been so richly recognized," Kates added.

More About Bayer's CONTOUR USB Blood Glucose Meter

Bayer's CONTOUR USB is the first and only blood glucose monitor that plugs directly into a computer, providing users with instant access to information that can help optimize diabetes management. The CONTOUR USB meter is integrated with GLUCOFACTS® DELUXE software for easy retrieval of data to facilitate longer-term tracking and analysis of blood glucose test results. The CONTOUR USB meter is based on Bayer's trusted CONTOUR® system, providing the same easy accuracy and No Coding™ technology, automatic correction for hematocrit and many common interfering substances (such as acetaminophen and ascorbic acid), 5-second test time and small (0.6 µL) sample size. The meter uses CONTOUR blood glucose test strips currently available for Bayer's CONTOUR meter. For more information, visit www.bayercontourusb.com.

MDEA Competition
For more information on the Medical Design Excellence Awards competition, go to www.MDEAwards.com.

Bayer Diabetes Care
Bayer Diabetes Care is a worldwide leader in diabetes care, supporting customers in 100 countries and, for more than 40 years, has led the way in diabetes care product innovation. Today, Bayer Diabetes Care offers an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems and comprehensive support including education, tools and resources designed to simplify life with diabetes. Bayer Diabetes Care is a business of the Bayer HealthCare LLC, Medical Care Division and has its global headquarters located in Tarrytown, New York. Find more information at www.simplewins.com.

Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the health care and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Bayer Schering Pharma, Consumer Care and Medical Care divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

About Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Approximately 23.6 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, which put them at risk for developing serious health complications over time, such as heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, and stroke.

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. In persons with type 1 diabetes, the body makes little or no insulin, which may result in many complications if glucose levels are not controlled.

Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adults, although increasingly, children are being diagnosed with this disease. Type 2 is associated with obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity.

Bayer Diabetes Care

Bayer Diabetes Care, a worldwide leader in diabetes supporting customers in 100 countries and for more than 40 years, has led the way in diabetes care product innovation. Bayer introduced the first portable blood glucose meter and test strips, innovated the measurement of A1C (glycated hemoglobin) with A1cNow+® and A1cNow® SELFCHECK and was the first to offer a suite of blood glucose monitors (CONTOUR® and BREEZE®2). Certain features of Bayer's blood glucose monitors such as No Coding technology and no interference from maltose and galactose make diabetes management easier.

Today, Bayer Diabetes Care offers an unparalleled choice in diabetes management systems and comprehensive support including education, tools and resources designed to simplify life with diabetes. Bayer Diabetes Care is a business of the Bayer HealthCare LLC, Medical Care Division and has its global headquarters located in Tarrytown, New York.

For more information visit www.bayerdiabetes.com or in the U.S. www.simplewins.com.

Bayer HealthCare

The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates under the name Bayer Schering Pharma. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide.

Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.