WHIPPANY, N.J., June 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, in collaboration with Pharmacy Times, has named Bayer HealthCare products Claritin^®  the No. 1 oral antihistamine for allergies and Afrin^®  the No. 1 nasal decongestant in their "Top Recommended Health Products" among pharmacists.

The U.S. News and Pharmacy Times rankings are determined by surveying thousands of pharmacists nationwide to see how more than 1,100 over-the-counter brands in 168 product categories from allergy relief and decongestion, to oral care and diagnostics are ranked. Claritin led the allergy relief category, receiving 43 percent of pharmacists' votes, surpassing well-known competitors and, Afrin secured 75 percent of pharmacists' votes, significantly leading the nasal decongestant category.  

"We are proud to know Claritin and Afrin are highly regarded among pharmacists and have been named as go-to products this year," said Mike DeBiasi, Vice President of U.S. Allergy at Bayer HealthCare. "We value the role of the pharmacist and their position at the drugstore and commend U.S. News and Pharmacy Times for their commitment to helping Americans make important health decisions."

Claritin has been providing allergy sufferers with relief that is powerful and non-drowsy since it went over the counter in 2002. When your symptoms start doctors recommend taking one Claritin every day of your allergy season for as long as your allergy triggers remain. One dose lasts 24 hours, so allergy sufferers can focus on enjoying their time outdoors, not on their symptoms.

For over 50 years, Afrin has been providing consumers with fast, powerful nasal congestion relief.  It has a wide range of products which can provide 12 hour relief from nasal congestion to last all day or all night.  With its NoDrip formula, Afrin delivers a measured dose that won't drip down your nose or throat.  It targets your congestion and stays there. That's why millions of cold & allergy sufferers turn to Afrin each year for powerful congestion relief

For more information about Claritin and Afrin, visit www.Claritin.com and www.Afrin.com.

About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of around EUR 20.0 billion (2014), 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. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover, develop, manufacture and market products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 60,700 employees (Dec 31, 2014) and is represented in more than 100 countries. More information is available at www.healthcare.bayer.com.

About Bayer Consumer Care
Bayer HealthCare's over-the-counter (OTC) drug and nutritional supplements, and OTC and Rx Dermatology units, have business hubs in Whippany, New Jersey, United States: Basel, Switzerland; Shanghai, China; Leverkusen, Germany; and Singapore.  Research & Development facilities are located in Morristown, New Jersey and Memphis, Tennessee, United States; Gaillard, France; Darmstadt, Germany and China.  Bayer Consumer Care is among the top consumer healthcare companies in the world, with brands in the categories of Allergy; Analgesics; Cardio; Cough, Cold, Sinus & Flu; Foot Health; Gastrointestinals; Nutritionals; Sun Care; and OTC and Rx Dermatology.   Some of the most trusted and recognizable brands in the world today come from the Bayer portfolio of products. These include Advantan™, Afrin®, Aleve®, Alka-Seltzer Plus®, Aspirin®, Bayer® Aspirin, Bepanthen™, Berocca™, Canesten™, Claritin®, Coppertone®, Dr. Scholl's®, Elevit™, Flanax™, Iberogast™, MiraLAX®, Nazol™, One A Day®, Priorin™, Redoxon™, Rennie™, Skinoren™, Supradyn™, Tabcin™, and White & Black™.

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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.

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