Bayer Expands Virtual Walk for Hemophilia in Support of People with Bleeding Disorders

Innovative Interactive Program Raises Awareness and Money for the Global Hemophilia Community

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Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Apr 17, 2012, 08:30 ET

WAYNE, N.J., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- To commemorate World Hemophilia Day, Bayer HealthCare has announced the expansion of its unique interactive program, the Virtual Walk for Hemophilia (www.walkforhemophilia.com), now in its second year. The Virtual Walk is an innovative contest that raises awareness and money for bleeding disorder organizations across the U.S. and globally.

Once again, Bayer is asking people to virtually walk online for the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) and its local participating chapters. For 2012, the program incorporates new elements to keep the excitement growing. To help sweeten the pot, one of the new features is on the day of a participating NHF chapter's physical walk, any virtual walker created will count as "two."

Also, Bayer is providing sponsorship funds to five local participating NHF chapters vs. three chapters last year, as well as maintaining its pledge of funds to the national office of NHF. In addition, the company is providing up to $7,000 in sponsorship funds to Save One Life, a non-profit group that offers people and organizations the opportunity to sponsor a child or adult with a bleeding disorder in a developing country. In total, Bayer will award up to $70,000 in sponsorship funds in the contest's second year.

"We've seen first-hand the value of Bayer's Virtual Walk. The program helped raise national awareness for bleeding disorders, and we believe it contributed to an increase in the number of people who participated in our live walk event," said Cindy Komar, executive director, Arizona Hemophilia Foundation, which placed first in last year's virtual walk. "We look forward to being part of the competition this year and mobilizing our community."

"The Virtual Walk was a great achievement in its inaugural year with more than 15,000 virtual walkers," said Leslie Donato, Vice President/General Manager, Hematology, Bayer HealthCare. "The program clearly demonstrates Bayer's commitment to the hemophilia community and to continually create innovative programs and services."

World Hemophilia Day, celebrated on April 17, was introduced 24 years ago by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) in honor of its founder Frank Schnabel. It honors his achievements and extends his mission to improve global care for people with bleeding disorders. As it does every year, Bayer celebrates World Hemophilia Day through its participation in a 5k walk in Berkeley's Cesar Chavez Park, Calif., banked by beautiful views of San Francisco Bay. The San Francisco Bay Area is the home of Bayer's Berkeley manufacturing facility.

About Hemophilia A
Hemophilia A, also known as factor VIII deficiency or classic hemophilia, is largely an inherited bleeding disorder in which one of the proteins needed to form blood clots in the body is missing or reduced. Hemophilia A, the most common type of hemophilia, is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins, known as factor VIII. Hemophilia A is characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. Approximately one in 5,000 males born in the United States has hemophilia.

About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and combines the activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. As a specialty pharmaceutical company, Bayer HealthCare provides products for General Medicine, Hematology, Neurology, Oncology and Women's Healthcare. The company's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.

BAYER and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer.

Forward-looking Statements
This news 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.

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SOURCE Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.