Pharmaceutical company intelligence reports from Espicom provide a full review of the company's activities together with five-year sales forecasts for its key products. The company's financial performance is covered in-depth, from its latest results to a complete analysis of its latest full fiscal year and an outlook for the future. A section on company strategy covers mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, key agreements, products and R&D. An overview of key products and R&D is followed by a comprehensive review of the company's product portfolio and research and development pipeline by therapeutic area. In addition, supplementary appendices provide more in-depth information on financials, agreements and corporate events. On 12th July 2006, it was announced that Bayer's public takeover offer for Schering AG had been completed. With estimated annual sales of nearly EUR 15 billion (calculated on 2005 sales), this acquisition creates a global healthcare company that will rank among the top 12 in the world.

Schering is a research-based pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Germany, that has been engaged in the pharmaceuticals business for over 130 years. Schering has more than 140 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide and employs over 25,000 people. It currently ranks 17th among researched-based pharmaceutical companies in terms of pharma sales. It annually invests about 19 per cent of its total sales in research and development, ranking 18th compared to other pharmaceutical companies.

Schering is active in four therapeutic areas: fertility control and hormone therapy; oncology; central nervous system diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease; and diagnostic imaging.

Current growth drivers
Betaferon/Betaseron, which was the first product to be approved and launched as a disease-modifying treatment for multiple sclerosis, will remain as Schering's main growth driver until the oral contraceptive Yasmin begins to take over in 2008. The success of Yasmin is a key factor that will help drive Schering's future growth.

Key late-phase products reaching the market place
Vasovist, an injectable intravascular contrast agent, received EU approval in October 2005 and it was launched in the second quarter of 2006. Vasovist is expected to be one of the future growth drivers in the field of diagnostic imaging.