New "Speed Up Your Relief" Campaign Helps American Red Cross Turn Fast Strikes in Major League Baseball into Fast Relief for Disaster Victims

MORRISTOWN, N.J., July 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer HealthCare, the makers of new Bayer^® Advanced Aspirin, is demonstrating its commitment to fast relief with the launch of Speed Up Your Relief, a new campaign that drives donations to the American Red Cross. Proven to relieve pain twice as fast* as previous Bayer Aspirin tablets, Bayer Advanced Aspirin is leveraging its new role as the "Official Pain Reliever of Major League Baseball" to turn fast strikes into donations, up to a total of $150,000, that support Red Cross relief efforts.

Through the Speed Up Your Relief campaign, the makers of Bayer Advanced Aspirin have pledged to donate $10 to the Red Cross for every strike 95 mph and over thrown during the remainder of the 2011 Major League Baseball regular and post season. In the 2010 MLB season, an average of more than 3,000 strikes 95 mph and over were thrown each month. MLB fans and Red Cross supporters can track fast strikes resulting in relief effort donations on the website, SpeedUpYourRelief.com.

"Every year, the victims of nearly 70,000 disasters rely on the American Red Cross for relief, support and assistance," said Charley Shimanski, SVP, Disaster Services, American Red Cross. "Generous donations like those provided through the Bayer Advanced Aspirin Speed Up Your Relief campaign help us quickly provide food, shelter, emotional support, health services, clean-up supplies, and comfort items to those in need."

In addition to Bayer's donation, fans can get involved in the Speed Up Your Relief campaign by making personal donations to the Red Cross on the website. They also can play an online fantasy baseball game developed by MLB.com for a chance to win $10,000 or an all-inclusive dream baseball vacation, courtesy of Bayer.

"Speed is essential in pain relief, baseball and relief operations. That's why Bayer has stepped up to the plate to expand our relief efforts to help Americans in need," said Barton Warner, VP, Marketing and New Business, Bayer HealthCare. "Through combined efforts with the Red Cross and Major League Baseball, we are confident that the Speed Up Your Relief campaign will help provide fast relief to those who need it most."

For more information about the Speed Up Your Relief campaign or to make a donation to the Red Cross, visit SpeedUpYourRelief.com.

About Bayer Advanced Aspirin

Bayer^® Advanced Aspirin temporarily relieves headache, menstrual pain, minor pain of arthritis, muscle pain, pain and fever of colds, and toothache. Adults and children, 12 and over, should carefully read and follow complete directions on the product label. For children under 12 years, consult a doctor prior to using Bayer Advanced Aspirin.

About 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 subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 16.913 billion (2010), 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 and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 55,700 employees (Dec 31, 2010) and is represented in more than 100 countries. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.

About Bayer HealthCare's Consumer Care Division

The Consumer Care division of Bayer HealthCare, is headquartered in Morristown, N.J. Bayer's Consumer Care division is among the largest marketers of over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements in the world. Some of the most trusted and recognizable brands in the world today come from the Bayer portfolio of products. These include Bayer^® Aspirin, ALEVE^®, Alka-Seltzer Plus^®, Bactine^®, RID^®, Phillips'^® Milk of Magnesia, Midol^®, Alka-Seltzer^®, One A Day^® vitamins, and Flintstones™ vitamins in the United States, and, globally, Flanax^®/Apronax^®, Talcid^®, Rennie^®, Canesten^®, Bepanthen^®, Bepanthol^®, Supradyn^®, Redoxon^®, Berocca^®, Cal-D-Vita/Elevit^®, Vital 50 Plus^®, and CardioAspirin^®.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

About Major League Baseball Properties

The Major League Baseball Clubs formed Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) in 1966 as the Clubs' agent for marketing and trademark licensing and protection. Major League Baseball Properties is responsible for managing consumer licensing activities, developing national advertising campaigns, cultivating sponsorship opportunities with major consumer brands and corporations, growing the game and the business of baseball outside the United States and creating national marketing programs in conjunction with Clubs, broadcast rights holders and national sponsors. MLBP also operates a full-service video and audio production unit (Major League Baseball Productions), a publishing division and stock photo licensing agency, and manages logistics for the All-Star Game and World Series as well as all other special events. For more information on Major League Baseball, log on to www.MLB.com.

* Two dental pain efficacy studies were conducted to evaluate Bayer Advanced Aspirin 500 mg and 325 mg tablets. The results demonstrated that Bayer Advanced Aspirin can provide meaningful pain relief twice as fast as previous Bayer Aspirin tablets.

SOURCE Bayer HealthCare