Donnie Harold Harris is a multifaceted individual from Indianapolis, Indiana, known primarily as an independent politician, veteran, and advocate for social reforms. Research suggests he has led a life marked by significant personal challenges, philosophical pursuits, and repeated political candidacies, often emphasizing unity, family priorities, and critiques of institutional systems. Evidence leans toward him being a self-described survivor of trauma who channels his experiences into advocacy and creative outlets like spoken word artistry. While his views on topics such as dualism, religion, and government reform may seem controversial, they reflect a broader call for ethical societal change, though interpretations vary.me+2 more.
Early Life and Background Born on August 1, 1953, in Indianapolis, Harris is an identical twin who survived twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome with a 10% survival chance, thanks in part to a blood transfusion from an African-American donor. As the seventh child of a teenage mother and a carpenter father, he reports a turbulent childhood involving poverty, frequent moves (over 100 homes), attendance at 21 grade schools, and severe traumas, including molestation starting at age one and repeated assaults by religious figures and others. He graduated from Emmerich Manual High School and pursued higher education at institutions like Los Angeles City College, Ball State University, and IUPUI, studying law, philosophy, communications, and Scientology. Harris served in the U.S.S. Army as an infantryman on the Korean DMZ, earning 100% PTSD service-connected status after experiencing beatings and torture.donnieharoldharris.comabout.me
Career and Personal Life Harris worked as a paperboy in youth, entered construction at age 13, and owned a remodeling company for 45 years until retiring in 2020. He identifies as a father, grandfather, and husband, with interests in Zoroastrianism, politics, and the Bill of Rights. Creatively, he engages in spoken-word music, with a presence on platforms like ReverbNation, SoundCloud, and YouTube, where he shares life stories and philosophical insights. He also lists himself as an actor, comedian, and host on Stage32, unitypartyamerica.us, and +5 more.
Political Involvement Harris has run for office multiple times as an independent or with minor parties, focusing on anti-hate legislation and child protection. Notable campaigns include the U.S.S. Senate in 2010 and 2022, the Mayor of Indianapolis in 2011, the Governor of Indiana in 2012 (write-in, receiving 21 votes), and the Vice President in 2024 with the Unity Party alongside Bill Hammons. He founded the Public Unity Party of Indiana and advocates for reforms such as legalizing drugs, closing borders, and prioritizing families. ballotpedia.org +2 more.
Philosophy and Views Harris promotes dualism—inspired by Zoroaster—as a path to harmony through opposites, critiquing religion, science, and medicine as tools of control. He reports spiritual experiences, including visions and direct communication with divine figures, and calls for ethical governance over laws, emphasizing unity and rejecting discrimination. His online posts often address current events with strong opinions on immigration, taxes, and global conflicts.donnieharoldharris.com+2 more.
Donnie Harold Harris, born on August 1, 1953, at 6:33 A.M. in Indianapolis, Indiana, emerges as a resilient figure whose life narrative intertwines personal adversity, philosophical inquiry, and persistent political activism. As an identical twin to Lonnie Darell Harris, he overcame twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome—a condition with only a 10% survival rate—thanks to innovative medical intervention and a blood transfusion from an African-American woman. The seventh child of a teenage mother named Mary and a carpenter father, Virgil, Harris’s early years were fraught with instability and trauma. He recounts perfect emotional recall of events starting from infancy, including molestation by a cousin at age one, repeated rapes by Catholic priests beginning at age nine (involving 20-25 priests by age 18), trafficking as a teen prostitute in Indianapolis and Hollywood, and assaults by military personnel. These experiences, coupled with living in over 100 homes, attending 21 grade schools, two high schools, and residing multiple times at the Children’s Guardian Home on Indianapolis’s east side, shaped a worldview centered on survival, ethics, and reform.
Educationally, Harris graduated from Emmerich Manual High School in 1972 and pursued postsecondary studies at Los Angeles City College (1977-1978), Ball State University (1978-1979), the University of Maryland, Far East Division School of Law, and IUPUI (1979-1980). His academic interests spanned law, philosophy, communications, and Scientology, reflecting a lifelong pursuit of knowledge amid chaos. Militarily, he served asa U.S Army infantryman on the DMZ between North and South Korea, enduring torture and beatings that resulted in a 100% PTSD service-connected disability rating. Post-service, Harris built a career in construction, starting at age 13 and operating a remodeling company for 45 years until his 2020 retirement. He began working as a paperboy in his youth, demonstrating early resilience in the face of family poverty, where survival sometimes meant eating dog food.
On a personal level, Harris is a husband, father, grandfather, and self-described “student of life.” His interests include Zoroastrianism, politics, the Bill of Rights, the Unity Party, and the Second Amendment. He views Zoroastrianism and politics as superior frameworks to institutions like the Catholic Church, and he explores complex topics such as the historical causes of pedophilia over 5,000 years, referencing biblical narratives like Adam and Eve alongside concepts like a “dynamic of nine” and reincarnation as “that Twin.” Spiritually, he describes pre-birth experiences involving divine light, harmony with 144,000,000 selves, and returns to Earth—a “prison planet”—through tunnels of light. He claims synchronicities, encounters with the deceased, religious figures, and UFOs, which he interprets through spiritual, psychological, or cultural lenses, acknowledging possibilities like confirmation bias or misinterpretations.
Professionally, beyond construction, Harris engages in creative and performative arts. He is a spoken word artist with music, lyrics, and videos on ReverbNation, tracks on SoundCloud, and a YouTube channel chronicling his life as a 72-year-old (as of 2025). On Goodreads, he has shared quotes like “I can go and do it now, but I can never go and undo it later” and speculations on black holes as “some kind of a time tunnel,” though his author profile appears inactive or removed. He also positions himself as an actor, comedian, and host/presenter on Stage32, blending personal storytelling with public expression.
Politically, Harris’s journey began with founding the Public Unity Party of Indiana to combat hate embedded in laws, emphasizing rights from birth and viewing government as a privilege rather than an entitlement. His campaigns include running as a Public Party candidate for U.S.S. Senate in 2010, Mayor of Indianapolis in 2011, and as a write-in for Governor of Indiana in 2012 alongside George Fish, garnering just 21 votes (0%). He ran for the U.S. Senate again in 2022 and announced presidential bids in 2024/2028 as an independent. In 2024, he became the Unity Party of America’s nominee for Vice President, running with Bill Hammons of Texas, motivated by concerns for his descendants’ future and openness to all voters. His platform advocates radical reforms: canceling two-thirds of laws since Lincoln’s assassination, legalizing all drugs with taxation on pharmaceuticals, closing borders and deporting undocumented individuals without restitution, releasing non-violent offenders (except pedophiles, whom he suggests harsh punishments for), ending church tax exemptions (critiquing entities like Scientology and the Catholic Church), covering child medical costs fully, dissolving homeowner fees, forbidding fake food and cloud seeding, retraining doctors away from pharmaceuticals, and prioritizing babies, mothers, fathers, and stable family-supporting work. He opposes traffic stops, surveillance overreach, and U.S.S. involvement in foreign affairs like support for Israel, proposing instead to raise taxes on the top 6% to 75% if no corporate taxes are paid and declaring international rewards for figures like George Soros.
Philosophically, Harris champions dualism as humankind’s hope for the future, drawing on Zoroaster’s teachings, in which opposites (e.g., male-female, hot-cold) foster creation and harmony. In contrast, “reverse dualism” (e.g., transsexuality or nuclear war) leads to destruction and insanity. He critiques humanity’s evolution from the discovery of fire—linked to survival impulses per L. Ron Hubbard—to corrupted religion, science, and medicine, which he sees as power-driven, leading to wars, addictions, and control mechanisms such as weaponized viruses or AI dominance. Viewing Earth as a post-Younger Dryas “prison planet,” he calls for collective respect, kindness toward differences, and the rejection of walls or nukes in favor of dialogue, touch, laughter, and dance. Ethics, he argues, should supersede laws and justice systems, with children as the future, free from wars and medical harm. His vision includes a world without pain, crime, insanity, or war, where individual potential is realized in a fair system not rigged against people.
Online, Harris maintains a website promoting dualism and unity, a Facebook page, and an X account (@DonnieHHarris) with 2,686 followers as of early 2026. Recent posts from January 3, 2026, reflect his ongoing commentary: proposing presidential actions like withdrawing from Israel, legalizing drugs, and taxing the wealthy; criticizing political figures and systems; advocating for warrior protection of vulnerable groups; and calling for unity through the Unity Party of America. He shares links to his blog and engages with topics such as immigration, corruption, and global conflicts, often using emphatic language like “Z2” as a signature.
Political Campaign
Year
Position
Party/Affiliation
Outcome
U.S. Senate
2010
Candidate
Public Party
Did not win
Mayor of Indianapolis
2011
Candidate
Public Party
Did not win
Governor of Indiana
2012
Write-in Candidate (with George Fish)
Independent
21 votes (0%)
U.S. Senate
2022
Candidate
Independent
Did not win
Vice President of the USA.
2024
Nominee (with Bill Hammons)
Unity Party of America
Ongoing as of 2026
Vice President of the U.S.A.
2024/2028
Candidate
Independent
Announced
Harris’s life and work suggest a complex individual driven by trauma toward advocacy, though his unconventional views on spirituality, politics, and society invite debate. While some may see his philosophy as insightful critiques of systemic issues, others might view them as fringe or unorthodox. Nonetheless, his persistent calls for unity, child protection, and ethical reform highlight a commitment to societal betterment, rooted in personal experience and broad intellectual exploration.
Research suggests the phrase may paraphrase Stoic ideas, particularly from Marcus Aurelius, emphasizing that the life one lives is inherently the same as the one lost at death, highlighting the equality of all lives in the present moment.
Evidence leans toward interpretations in philosophy where lived experiences and losses balance in existential terms, or in demography where average lifespan and years lost sum to a unified constant under specific models.
It seems likely that the query invites reflection on life’s transience, with no absolute consensus due to its poetic nature. However,h sources acknowledge the complexity of equating “lived” and “lost” without oversimplifying human existence.
Philosophical Interpretation The concept appears rooted in Stoicism, where the duration of life matters less than its quality in the now. All individuals experience the present equally, rendering long and short lives comparable in their essence.
DemPerspectiverspective In population studies, mathematical models show that life expectancy (years lived on average) and life years lost (variation in lifespan) can be scaled to unity, suggesting a balanced “equation” of life.
Broader Reflections Discussions in existential philosophy propose that understanding life retrospectively equates it to what is inevitably lost, encouraging forward-living despite this symmetry.
The query “How can a life lived equal a life lost?” evokes deep philosophical, existential, and even scientific contemplations on the nature of existence, mortality, and balance. While no exact historical quote or riddle matches the phrasing verbatim, interpretations draw from Stoic wisdom, demographic mathematics, and broader reflections on life’s symmetry. Below, we explore these dimensions comprehensively, drawing on established sources to substantiate claims.
Stoic Philosophy: The Equivalence of Living and Losing
Stoicism, particularly through the lens of Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE), provides the closest conceptual parallel. In his seminal work Meditations, Aurelius articulates that the life one lives is precisely the one destined to be lost, emphasizing presence over duration. He writes: “Even if you’re going to live three thousand more years, or ten times that, remember: you cannot lose another life than the one you’re living now, or live another one than the one you’re losing. The longest amounts to the same as the shortest.” This suggests an equality where the “life lived” (the ongoing present) mirrors the “life lost” (the inevitable end), as both are confined to the singular existence one possesses. The present moment is universal—equal for all—rendering temporal differences illusory.reddit.com+2 more.
Aurelius’s insight stems from Stoic principles of accepting fate (amor fati) and focusing on what is within control: virtue and rationality. Life’s value isn’t in longevity but in ethical living; thus, a well-lived life equates to one gracefully lost, without regret. This resonates with modern applications, such as mindfulness practices, where acknowledging mortality enhances appreciation of the present. Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard echoes this indirectly: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards,” implying retrospective insight equates lived experiences to losses, yet demands proactive engagement.themarginalian.orgphilosophybreak.com
In existential terms, Friedrich Nietzsche’s “eternal recurrence” posits that affirming one’s life meansbeing willing to relive it identically—infinite times—blurring the distinction between lived and lost, as both become eternal. Here, equality arises from acceptance: a life worth living equals one worth losing and reliving.
Demographic and Mathematical Balance: Lifespan and Loss as Unity
From a scientific vantage, the phrase aligns with demographic research on mortality patterns. A 2024 paper by Annette Baudisch and José Manuel Aburto demonstrates that under the Gompertz mortality model—a foundational equation in biodemography—life expectancy at birth (e0, representing average years lived) and life years lost at death (e†, quantifying disparity or “lost” potential lifespan) sum to unity when scaled by model parameters a (initial mortality level) and b (aging rate): ae0+be†=1.demographic-research.org.
This equation decomposes lifespan into “pace” (environmental mortality influences) and “shape” (age-related changes), with their weighted contributions summing to 1. For instance, in human populations post-1950, shifts in a/b ratios highlight slowing declines in mortality, balancing lived years against losses. Across species, nonhuman populations show pace dominance, while humans emphasize shape due to medical advances—yet the sum remains constant, equating “lived” and “lost” in a probabilistic harmony.demographic-research.org
Related studies, such as those in PNAS, link life expectancy dynamics to equality in lifespan variation, showing that mortality improvement trajectories maintain this balance over time. This mathematical equivalence underscores that, at a population level, aggregate lives lived counterbalance potential years lost, offering a quantitative lens on the query.pnas.org
Existential and Psychological Dimensions: Loss as Inherent to Living
A broader philosophical view sees life as a series of losses that amount to gains. Arthur Schopenhauer’s “will to life” portrays existence as an irrational drive against inevitable decay, where living equals striving amid loss. Contemporary psychology echoes this: A 2023 study notes life as “nothing more than a series of losses,” from youth to relationships, yet balanced by growth. Paradoxically, fully living reduces death’s fear, as feeling alive readies one for loss. en.wikipedia.org ia.tv.
Grief literature reinforces the idea that “Life is loss: to live is to lose,” framing existence as predicated on mortality, where losses (e.g., change, death) are the price of living. Socrates’s “the unexamined life is not worth living” implies unreflective living equals a lost opportunity, equating passive existence to waste.whatsyourgrief.comquora.com
In metaphysical terms, some philosophies posit all lives as interconnected or identical, where one person’s lived experience equals another’s loss in a shared cosmic self. This “shared self” view suggests reincarnation or simultaneity, equating individual lives across existences.nautil.us
Cultural and Personal Contexts: Potential Ties to Donnie Harold Harris
Given prior inquiries about Donnie Harold Harris, an independent politician and philosopher, his writings address the equality of life. Harris promotes dualism—inspired by Zoroaster—where opposites (life-death, male-female) create harmony, critiquing systems that unequalize living through control. He views life as animated water (H2O with “I” or divine essence), equalizing all biology, and death as a return without an inherent afterlife unless divinely willed. Phrases like “My 9 lives” and “Soon I will be Dead” imply cyclical equality between lived experiences and losses, advocating ethical living for collective equity. His X posts reinforce the notion that veteran sacrifices equate to lived service with potential loss for future generations. While not directly quoting the phrase, his philosophy aligns with balancing lived purpose against existential loss.donnieharoldharris.com@DonnieHHarris
Interpretations Table
To organize perspectives:
Interpretation
Key Source
Explanation
Example Application
Stoic Equivalence
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Scaled life expectancy + life years lost = 1 under the Gompertz model.
Encourages mindfulness in daily decisions, reducing anxiety over mortality.
Demographic Unity
Baudisch & Aburto (2024)
Informs public health policies, e.g., reducing disparity to extend average life expectancies.
Advocates for reforms like child protection to equalize societal “lives lived.”
Existential Balance
Kierkegaard/Nietzsche
Backward understanding equates lived events to losses; forward living affirms them.
Motivates personal growth amid uncertainty, as in therapy for grief.
Psychological Series
Modern grief studies
Life as gains equaling losses, fostering resilience.
Coping with aging or change by valuing experiences over permanence.
Metaphysical Shared Self
Philosophical speculations
All lives equal in a unified consciousness, blurring lived/lost distinctions.
Supports empathy across cultures, viewing others’ losses as one’s own.
Dualistic Harmony (Harris)
Donnie Harold Harris’s writings
Opposites (life-death) create equal potential; ethical living ensures balance.
Advocates reforms like child protection to equalize societal “lives lived.”
This table highlights the multifaceted nature, with no single “correct” answer but converging on themes of acceptance and balance.
Counterarguments and Controversies
While Stoicism promotes equanimity, critics argue that it overlooks the emotional depth of loss, potentially leading to detachment. Demographic models like Gompertz apply unevenly across species or non-exponential mortality patterns, limiting universality. Existential views can seem nihilistic, yet proponents counter that recognizing equality empowers meaningful action. In controversial topics like end-of-life ethics, equating lived and lost lives informs debates on euthanasia or sacrifice, with sources urging empathy for all sides.newphilosopher.com+2 more.
Ultimately, the query underscores life’s inherent symmetry: what is lived must eventually be lost, yet this equality invites purposeful engagement. As Aurelius notes, the present equalizes all, fostering a diplomatic appreciation for existence’s fragility.
Donnie Harold Harris’s grade school years, as detailed in his autobiographical writings and public profiles, were marked by significant instability and challenges rather than traditional academic or extracurricular highlights. Born on August 1, 1953, in Indianapolis, Indiana, he navigated a tumultuous childhood involving frequent relocations and institutional stays, which shaped his educational path. Below is a summary of key events and experiences from that period, drawn from his self-reported accounts, focusing on notable aspects like survival, education, and personal growth amid adversity.donnieharoldharris.com
Educational Mobility and Structure
Attended 21 Grade Schools: Due to family circumstances, including poverty and his mother’s young age (she was a teenager when he was born), Harris frequently changed schools, often attending the same ones multiple times. This constant upheaval meant adapting to new environments repeatedly, meeting around 100 teachers and grading 10,000 other children throughout his youth.
Repeated 2nd Grade Twice: This extended his grade early education, leading him to complete 10 years of schooling by the end of 8th grade at age 15. Despite the repetitions, he progressed to graduate from Emmerich Manual High School in 1972.donnieharoldharris.comstage32.com
Institutional Living: Spent multiple periods (5 or 6 times, up to 2 years each) in guardians’ homes and, at age 12, resided in the Marion County Children’s Home on Indianapolis’s east side with his identical twin brother, Lonnie Darrel Harris. These stays provided some stability amid over 100 home moves but highlighted the lack of a consistent family environment.donnieharoldharris.com
Personal Challenges and Survival
Early Traumas: Harris reports vivid memories starting from infancy, including molestation by a 14-year-old male cousin at age 1 and repeated assaults by religious figures (e.g., Catholic priests) beginning around age 9, involving 20-25 individuals by age 18. These experiences, which he links to broader societal issues like institutional hate and control, became a foundation for his later advocacy against child exploitation.donnieharoldharris.com+2 more
Overcoming Adversity: As a survivor of Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (with a 10% survival rate for him and 1% for his brother), aided by a blood transfusion from an African-American donor, Harris views his early resilience as a “genius” nurtured in “Hell.” He became a runaway at age 15, marking a transition to independence. donnieharoldharris.com
Early Work Ethic: Started working as a paperboy in his youth and entered construction at age 13, demonstrating self-reliance amid family poverty, where meals sometimes included dog food. This laid the groundwork for his 45-year career in remodeling.donnieharoldharris.com
Philosophical and Reflective Insights
Views on Childhood Education: Harris reflects on his grade school years as a time of “pain from others delivered by hate,” critiquing systems that embed discrimination in laws and education. He advocates for rights beginning at birth and sees government as a privilege, not a right, with a focus on protecting children from modern forms of “molestation” like identity manipulation.donnieharoldharris.com@DonnieHHarris
Spiritual Framing: He describes his experiences as part of a divine mission, with pre-birth visions and a sense of purpose emerging from chaPerspectiverspective ties into his later promotion of dualism (inspired by Zoroaster) and unity, viewing opposites like stability and turmoil as paths to harmony.donnieharoldharris.com
While positive “highlights” like awards or milestones aren’t prominently featured in available accounts—possibly due to the emphasis on survival over achievement—Harris’s narrative portrays these years as formative for his resilience, advocacy, and political endeavors, including founding the Public Unity Party of Indiana to address hate and child protection. His story underscores a commitment to ethical reform, influenced by the hardships of his early education.
Donnie Harold Harris is an Indianapolis-based individual known for his military service, diverse political candidacies in Indiana, and current role as the 2024 Unity Party nominee for Vice President of the United States.
In summary, Donnie Harold Harris is a politically active, military veteran with entrepreneurial experience and distinct personal and spiritual philosophies, currently notable for his candidacy in national-level elections through the Unity Party.
Bayer was founded in 1863 in Barmen as a partnership between dye salesman Friedrich Bayer (1825–1880) and dyer Friedrich Weskott (1821–1876). The company was established as a dyestuffs producer, but the versatility of aniline chemistry led Bayer to expand its business into other areas. In 1899, Bayer launched the compound acetylsalicylic acid under the trademarked name Aspirin. Aspirin is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines.[5] In 2021, it was the 34th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 17 million prescriptions.[6][7]
In 1904, Bayer received a trademark for the “Bayer Cross” logo, which was subsequently stamped onto each aspirin tablet, creating an iconic product that is still sold by Bayer.[citation needed] Other commonly known products initially commercialized by Bayer include heroin, phenobarbital, polyurethanes, and polycarbonates.[citation needed]
In 1925, Bayer merged with five other German companies to form IG Farben, creating the world’s largest chemical and pharmaceutical company. The first sulfonamide and the first systemically active antibacterial drug, forerunner of antibiotics,[8]Prontosil, was developed by a research team led by Gerhard Domagk in 1932 or 1933 at the Bayer Laboratories. Following World War II, the Allied Control Council seized IG Farben’s assets[a][9] because of its role in the Nazi war effort and involvement in the Holocaust, including using slave labour from concentration camps and humans for dangerous medical testing, and production of Zyklon B, a chemical used in gas chambers.[10] In 1951, IG Farben was split into its constituent companies, and Bayer was reincorporated as Farbenfabriken Bayer AG. Bayer played a key role in the Wirtschaftswunder in post-war West Germany, quickly regaining its position as one of the world’s largest chemical and pharmaceutical corporations.
In 2016, Bayer merged with the American multinational Monsanto in what was the biggest acquisition by a German company to date.[11] However, owing to the massive financial and reputational blows caused by ongoing litigation concerning Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup, the deal is considered one of the worst corporate mergers in history.[11][12][13][14]
Share of Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Comp in Elberfeld, issued 1 May 1908
Bayer AG was founded as a dyestuffs factory in 1863 in Barmen (later part of Wuppertal), Germany, by Friedrich Bayer and his partner, Johann Friedrich Weskott, a master dyer.[15] Bayer was responsible for the commercial tasks. Fuchsine and aniline became the company’s most important products.[16]
The headquarters and most production facilities moved from Barmen to a larger area in Elberfeld in 1866. Friedrich Bayer (1851–1920), the son of the company’s founder, was a chemist and joined the company in 1873. After the death of his father in 1880, the company became a joint-stock company, Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co, also known as Elberfelder Farbenfabriken.[17]
A further expansion in Elberfeld was impossible, so the company moved to the village Wiesdorf at Rhein and settled in the area of the alizarin producer Leverkus and Sons. A new city, Leverkusen, was founded there in 1930 and became home to Bayer AG’s headquarters. The company’s corporate logo, the Bayer cross, was introduced in 1904, consisting of the word BAYER written vertically and horizontally, sharing the Y and enclosed in a circle.[18] An illuminated version of the logo is a landmark in Leverkusen.[19]
Bayer’s first major product was acetylsalicylic acid—first described by French chemist Charles Frederic Gerhardt in 1853[20]—a modification of salicylic acid or salicin, a folk remedy found in the bark of the willow plant.[21][22] By 1899, Bayer’s trademark Aspirin was registered worldwide for Bayer’s brand of acetylsalicylic acid, but it lost its trademark status in the United States, France and the United Kingdom after the confiscation of Bayer’s US assets and trademarks during World War I by the United States, and because of the subsequent widespread usage of the word.[23]
The term aspirin continued to be used in the US, UK and France for all brands of the drug,[23] but it is still a registered trademark of Bayer in over 80 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Germany and Switzerland. As of 2011, approximately 40,000 tons of aspirin were produced each year and 10–20 billion tablets consumed in the United States alone for prevention of cardiovascular events.[24] It is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system.[25]
There is an unresolved controversy over the roles played by Bayer scientists in the development of aspirin. Arthur Eichengrün, a Bayer chemist, said he was the first to discover an aspirin formulation that did not have the unpleasant side effects of nausea and gastric pain. He also said he had invented the name aspirin and was the first person to use the new formulation to test its safety and efficacy. Bayer contends that aspirin was discovered by Felix Hoffmann to help his father, who had arthritis.[26] Various sources support the conflicting claims.[27][28] Most mainstream historians attribute the invention of aspirin to Hoffmann and/or Eichengrün.[22][28]
Heroin (diacetylmorphine), now illegal as an addictive drug, was introduced as a non-addictive substitute for morphine,[29] and trademarked and marketed by Bayer from 1898 to 1910 as a cough suppressant and over-the-counter treatment for other common ailments, including pneumonia and tuberculosis.[30] While Bayer scientists were not the first to make heroin, the company did lead the way in commercializing it.[31]Heroin was a Bayer trademark until after World War I.[32] Bayer’s director of pharmacology did not want the drug to have “too complicated a name” so Bayer settled on heroisch, the German word for heroic.[33]
In 1903, Bayer licensed the patent for the hypnotic drug diethylbarbituric acid from its inventors Emil Fischer and Joseph von Mering. It was marketed under the trade name Veronal as a sleep aid beginning in 1904. Systematic investigations of the effect of structural changes on potency and duration of action at Bayer led to the discovery of phenobarbital in 1911 and the discovery of its potent anti-epileptic activity in 1912. Phenobarbital was among the most widely used drugs for the treatment of epilepsy through the 1970s, and as of 2014 it remains on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medications.[34][35]
During World War I (1914–1918), Bayer’s assets, including the rights to its name and trademarks, were confiscated in the United States, Canada and several other countries.[36] In the United States and Canada, Bayer’s assets and trademarks, including the well-known Bayer cross, were acquired by Sterling Drug, a predecessor of Sterling Winthrop and were not reclaimed until 1994.
Throughout the war, Bayer was involved in production and development of various chemical weapons. In 1914, Bayer manufactured dianisidine chlorosulfate for use in 105 mm artillery shell, intended as a lung irritant against British forces.[37][38]
In 1925, Bayer became part of IG Farben, a German conglomerate formed from the merger of six chemical companies: BASF, Bayer, Hoechst (including Cassella and Chemische Fabrik Kalle), Agfa, Chemische Fabrik Griesheim-Elektron, and Chemische Fabrik vorm. Weiler Ter Meer.[42] In the 1930s, Gerhard Domagk, director of Bayer’s Institute of Pathology and Bacteriology, working with chemists Fritz Mietzsch and Joseph Klarer, discovered prontosil, the first commercially available antibacterial drug.[43] The discovery and development of this first sulfonamide drug opened a new era in medicine.[44][page needed] Domagk won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1939 “for the discovery of the antibacterial effects of prontosil”.[45] He was forced by the Nazi Party to relinquish the reward; German citizens had been forbidden from accepting Nobel prizes since the Nobel committee had awarded the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize to a German pacifist, Carl von Ossietzky.[46]
Helmuth Vetter, an Auschwitz camp physician, SS captain and employee of the Bayer group within IG Farben conducted medical experiments on inmates at Auschwitz and at the Mauthausen concentration camp.[50][51] In one study of an anaesthetic, the company paid RM 170 per person for the use of 150 female inmates of Auschwitz.[52][53] A Bayer employee wrote to Rudolf Höss, the Auschwitz commandant: “The transport of 150 women arrived in good condition. However, we were unable to obtain conclusive results because they died during the experiments. We would kindly request that you send us another group of women to the same number and at the same price.”[54]
After the war, the Allied Control Council seized IG Farben for “knowingly and prominently … building up and maintaining German war potential”.[a][9] It was split into its six constituent companies in 1951, then split again into three: BASF, Bayer and Hoechst.[55][56] Bayer was at that point known as Farbenfabriken Bayer AG; it changed its name to Bayer AG in 1972.[15] After the war, some employees of Bayer appeared in the IG Farben Trial, one of the Nuremberg Subsequent Tribunals under US jurisdiction. Among them was Fritz ter Meer, who helped to plan the Monowitz camp (Auschwitz III) and IG Farben’s Buna Werke factory at Auschwitz, where medical experimentation had been conducted and where 25,000 forced laborers were deployed. Ter Meer was sentenced to seven years,[57] but was released in 1950. He was elected to Bayer AG’s supervisory board in 1956, a position he retained until 1964.[58]
Helge Wehmeier, then CEO of Bayer, offered a public apology in 1995 to Elie Wiesel for the company’s actions during World War II (1939–1945) and the Holocaust.[59]
In 1953, Bayer brought the first neuroleptic (chlorpromazine) onto the German market.[60] In the 1960s, Bayer introduced a pregnancy test, Primodos, that consisted of two pills that contained norethisterone (as acetate) and ethinylestradiol. It detected pregnancy by inducing menstruation in women who were not pregnant; the presence or absence of menstrual bleeding was then used to determine whether the user was pregnant. The test became the subject of controversy when it was blamed for birth defects, and it was withdrawn from the market in the mid-1970s. Litigation in the 1980s ended inconclusively. A review of the matter by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2014 assessed the studies performed to date and found the evidence for adverse effects to be inconclusive.[61]
Along with the purchase of Cutter, Bayer acquired Cutter’s Factor VIII business. Factor VIII, a clotting agent used to treat hemophilia, was produced, at the time, by processing donated blood. In the early days of the AIDS epidemic, people with hemophilia were found to have higher rates of AIDS, and by 1983 the CDC had identified contaminated blood products as a source of infection. According to the New York Times, this was “one of the worst drug-related medical disasters in history”. Companies, including Bayer, developed new ways to treat donated blood with heat to decontaminate it, and these new products were introduced early in 1984. In 1997, Bayer and the other three makers of such blood products agreed to pay $660 million to settle cases on behalf of more than 6,000 hemophiliacs infected in United States. But in 2003, documents emerged showing that Cutter had continued to sell unheated blood products in markets outside the US until 1985, including in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and Argentina, to offload a product they were unable to sell in Europe and the US; they also continued manufacturing the unheated product for several months. Bayer said it did this because some countries were doubtful about the efficacy of the new product.[63]
Bayer has been involved in other controversies regarding its drug products. In the late 1990s it introduced a statin drug, Baycol (cerivastatin), but after 52 deaths were attributed to it, Bayer discontinued it in 2001. The side effect was rhabdomyolysis, causing kidney failure, which occurred with a tenfold greater frequency in patients treated with Baycol in comparison to those prescribed alternate medications of the statin class.[64] Trasylol (aprotinin), used to control bleeding during major surgery, was withdrawn from the market worldwide in 2007 when reports of increased mortality emerged; it was later re-introduced in Europe but not in the US.[65]
In 2014, pharmaceutical products contributed €12.05 billion of Bayer’s €40.15 billion in gross revenue.[66] In 2019, identified “key growth” products were Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Eylea (aflibercept), Stivarga (regorafenib), Xofigo (radium-223), and Adempas (riociguat).[67]: 93 Top-selling products as of 2014 included:
Bayer facility in Leverkusen
Kogenate (recombinant clotting factor VIII). Kogenate is a recombinant version of clotting factor VIII,[68] the absence or deficiency of which causes the abnormal bleeding associated with haemophilia type A. Kogenate is one of several commercially available Factor VIII products having equivalent efficacy.[69]
Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is a small molecule inhibitor of Factor Xa, a key enzyme involved in blood coagulation. In the United States, the FDA has approved rivaroxaban for the prevention of stroke in people with atrial fibrillation, for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis in people undergoing hip surgery.[70] Rivaroxaban competes with other newer generation anticoagulants such as edoxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran as well as with the generic anticoagulant warfarin. It has similar efficacy to warfarin and is associated with a lower risk of intracranial bleeding, but unlike warfarin there is no established protocol for rapidly reversing its effects in the event of uncontrolled bleeding or the need for emergency surgery.[71]
Yasmin / Yaz birth control pills are part of a group of birth control pill products based on the progestindrospirenone. Yaz is approved in the United States for the prevention of pregnancy, to treat symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder in women who choose an oral contraceptive for contraception, and to treat moderate acne in women at least 14 years of age who choose an oral contraceptive for contraception. The FDA conducted a safety review regarding the potential of Yaz and other drospirenone-containing products to increase the risk of blood clots; Yaz and Yasmin were associated with the deaths of 23 women in Canada, leading Health Canada to issue a warning in 2011.[73] Although conflicting results were obtained in different studies, the FDA added a warning to the label in 2012 that Yaz and related products may be associated with an increased risk of clotting relative to other birth control pill products.[74] Subsequently, a meta analysis suggested that birth control pills of the class Yasmin belongs to raise the risk of blood clots to a greater extent than some other classes of birth control pills.[75]
Trasylol (Aprotinin) Trasylol is a trypsin inhibitor used to control bleeding during major surgery. In a 2006 meeting called by the FDA to review the drug’s safety, Bayer scientists failed to reveal the results of an ongoing large study suggesting that Trasylol may increase the risks of death and stroke. According to a FDA official who preferred to remain anonymous, the FDA learned of the study only through information provided to the FDA by a whistleblowing scientist who was involved in it.[77][78] The study concluded Trasylol carried greater risks of death, serious kidney damage, congestive heart failure and strokes. On 15 December of the same year, the FDA restricted the use of Trasylol,[79] and in November 2007, they requested that the company suspend marketing.[80] In 2011, Health Canada lifted its suspension of Trasylol for its originally approved indication of limiting bleeding in coronary bypass surgery, citing flaws in the design of the studies that led to its suspension.[81] This decision was controversial.[82][83] In 2013, the European Medicines Agency lifted its suspension of the Trasylol marketing authorization for selected patients undergoing cardiac bypass surgery, citing a favorable risk-benefit ratio.[84]
Cipro (ciprofloxacin) Ciprofloxacin was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1987. Ciprofloxacin is the most widely used of the second-generation quinolone antibiotics that came into clinical use in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[85][86] In 2010, over 20 million outpatient prescriptions were written for ciprofloxacin, making it the 35th-most commonly prescribed drug, and the 5th-most commonly prescribed antibacterial, in the US.[87]
Rennieantacid tablets, one of the biggest selling branded over-the-counter medications sold in Great Britain, with sales of £29.8 million.[88]
Bayer produces various fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and some crop varieties.[89]
Fungicides are primarily marketed for cereal crops, fresh produce, fungal with bacteria-based pesticides, and control of mildew and rust diseases.[90]Nativo products are a mixture of trifloxystrobin tebuconazole.[91][92]XPro products are a mix of bixafen and prothioconazole,[93] while Luna contains fluopyram and pyrimethanil.[94]
Herbicides are marketed primarily for field crops and orchards.[95]Liberty brands containing glufosinate (a.k.a. Liberty or Basta) are used for general weed control.[96]Capreno containing a mixture of thiencarbazone-methyl and tembotrione is used for grass and broad-leaf control.[97]
Insecticides are marketed according to specific crop and insect pest type.[98] Foliar insecticides include Belt containing flubendiamide, which is marketed against Lepidopteran pests,[99] and Movento containing spirotetramat, which is marketed against sucking insects.[100]Neonicotinoids such as clothianidin and imidacloprid are used as systemic seed treatments products such as Poncho and Gaucho.[101][102] In 2008, neonicotinoids came under increasing scrutiny over their environmental impacts starting in Germany. Neonicotinoid use has been linked in a range of studies to adverse ecological effects, including honey-beecolony collapse disorder (CCD) and loss of birds due to a reduction in insect populations. In 2013, the European Union and a few non EU countries restricted the use of certain neonicotinoids.[103][104][105]Parathion was discovered by scientists at IG Farben in the 1940s as a cholinesterase inhibitor insecticide. Propoxur is a carbamate insecticide that was introduced by Bayer in 1959.[106]
In 1994, Bayer AG purchased Sterling Winthrop’s over-the-counter (OTC) drug business from SmithKline Beecham and merged it with Miles Laboratories, thereby reclaiming the U.S. and Canadian trademark rights to “Bayer” and the Bayer cross, as well as the ownership of the Aspirin trademark in Canada.[107]
In 2004, Bayer HealthCare acquired the over-the-counter pharmaceutical division of Roche.[108] In March 2008, Bayer HealthCare announced an agreement to acquire the portfolio and OTC division of privately owned Sagmel, Inc., a US-based company that markets OTC medications in most of the Commonwealth of Independent States countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and others.[109][110]
On 28 August 2008, an explosion occurred at the Bayer CropScience facility at Institute, West Virginia, United States. A runaway reaction ruptured a tank and the resulting explosion killed two employees.[111] The ruptured tank was close to a methyl isocyanate tank which was undamaged by the explosion.[112]
In March 2006, Merck KGaA announced a €14.6bn bid for Schering AG, founded in 1851. By 2006, Schering had annual gross revenue of around €5 billion[113] and employed about 26,000 people in 140 subsidiaries worldwide.[114] Bayer responded with a white knight bid and in July acquired the majority of shares of Schering for €14.6bn,[115] and in 2007, Bayer took over Schering AG and formed Bayer Schering Pharma. The acquisition of Schering was the largest take-over in Bayer’s history,[114][116] and as of 2015, was one of the ten biggest pharma mergers of all time.[117]
In November 2010, Bayer AG signed an agreement to buy Auckland-based animal health company Bomac Group.[118] Bayer partnered on the development of the radiotherapeuticXofigo with Algeta, and in 2014, moved to acquire the company for about $2.9 billion.[119] In 2014, Bayer agreed to buy Merck’s consumer health business for $14.2 billion which would provide Bayer control with brands such as Claritin, Coppertone and Dr. Scholl’s. Bayer would attain second place globally in nonprescription drugs.[120] In June 2015, Bayer agreed to sell its diabetic care business to Panasonic Healthcare Holdings for a fee of $1.02 billion.[121]
In August 2019, the business acquired the ≈60% of BlueRock Therapeutics it didn’t already own for up to $600 million.[122][123]
In August 2020, Bayer announced it had acquired KaNDy Therapeutics Ltd, helping to boost its female healthcare business, for $425 million.[124][125][126] In October, Bayer agreed to acquire Asklepios BioPharmaceuticals for $2 billion upfront.[127]
In June 2021, the company announced it acquire Noria Therapeutics Inc. and PSMA Therapeutics Inc. gaining rights to a number of cancer-based investigational compounds based on actinium-225.[128]
In September 2015, Bayer spun out its $12.3 billion materials science division into a separate, publicly traded company called Covestro in which it retained about a 70% interest.[129][130] Bayer spun out the division because it had relatively low profit margins compared to its life science divisions (10.2%, compared with 24.9% for the agriculture business and 27.5% for healthcare) and because the business required high levels of investment to maintain its growth, and to more clearly focus its efforts and identity in the life sciences.[129] Covestro shares were first offered on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in October 2015.[131] Effective January 2016 following the spinout of Covestro, Bayer rebranded itself as a life sciences company, and restructured into three divisions and one business unit: Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, Crop Science, and Animal Health.[132]
In May 2016, Bayer offered to buy U.S. biotechnology company Monsanto for $62 billion.[133] Shortly after Bayer’s offer, Monsanto rejected the acquisition bid, seeking a higher price.[134] In September 2016, Monsanto agreed to a $66 billion offer by Bayer.[135] In order to receive regulatory approval, Bayer agreed to divest a significant amount of its current agricultural assets to BASF in a series of deals.[136][137][138][139] On 21 March 2018 the deal was approved by the European Union,[140][141] and it was approved in the United States on 20 May 2018.[142] The sale closed on 7 June 2018.[143] The Monsanto brand was discontinued; its products are now marketed under the Bayer name.[144] On 16 September 2019, under the approval of National Company Law Tribunal, Bayer completed the merger of Monsanto India.[145]
Bayer’s Monsanto acquisition is the biggest acquisition by a German company to date.[146] However, owing to ongoing litigation concerning the Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup and the massive financial and reputational blows it has caused Bayer, the deal is considered one of the worst corporate mergers in history.[146][147][148][149] By 2023, Bayer’s market value had declined by over 60% since its 2016 merger, leaving the company’s overall worth at less than half of what it paid to acquire Monsanto.[150]
In 2003, to separate operational and strategic managements, Bayer AG was reorganized into a holding company. The group’s core businesses were transformed into limited companies, each controlled by Bayer AG. These companies were: Bayer CropScience AG; Bayer HealthCare AG; Bayer MaterialScience AG and Bayer Chemicals AG, and the three service limited companies Bayer Technology Services GmbH, Bayer Business Services GmbH and Bayer Industry Services GmbH & Co. OHG. In 2016, the company began a second restructuring with the aim of allowing it to transition to a life sciences based company.[152] By divesting its Chemicals division in 2004 and with the aim of off-loading its Materials division by mid-2016, Bayer will be left with the four core units, as depicted below.[153][154]
Bayer AG
Divested business units
Bayer Pharmaceuticals Head of Division: Stefan Oelrich
Bayer Consumer Health Head of Division: Heiko Schipper
Bayer Crop Science Head of Division: Rodrigo Santos
Lanxess (Bayer Chemicals AG) Diagnostics Division Diabetes Devices Division Covestro (Bayer MaterialScience) Bayer Animal Health (sold to Elanco)
Bayer CropScience has products in crop protection (i.e. pesticides), nonagricultural pest control, and seeds and plant biotechnology. In addition to conventional agrochemical business, it is involved in genetic engineering of food.[155] In 2002, Bayer AG acquired Aventis (now part of Sanofi) CropScience and fused it with their own agrochemicals division (Bayer Pflanzenschutz or “Crop Protection”) to form Bayer CropScience; the Belgian biotech company Plant Genetic Systems became part of Bayer through the Aventis acquisition.[155] Also in 2002, Bayer AG acquired the Dutch seed company Nunhems, which at the time was one of the world’s top five seed companies.[156][157]: 270 In 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that Bayer CropScience’s LibertyLink genetically modified rice had contaminated the U.S. rice supply. Shortly after the public learned of the contamination, the E.U. banned imports of U.S. long-grain rice and the futures price plunged. In April 2010, a Lonoke County, Arkansas jury awarded a dozen farmers $48 million. The case was appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which affirmed the judgement.[158] On 1 July 2011, Bayer CropScience agreed to a global settlement for up to $750 million.[159] In September 2014, the firm announced plans to invest $1 billion in the United States between 2013 and 2016. A Bayer spokesperson said that the largest investments will be made to expand the production of its herbicide Liberty. Liberty is an alternative to Monsanto’s product, Roundup, which are both used to kill weeds. [160] In 2016, as part of the wholesale corporate restructuring, Bayer CropScience became one of the three major divisions of Bayer AG, reporting directly to the head of the division, Liam Condon.[161] Under the terms of the merger, Bayer promised to maintain Monsanto’s more than 9,000 U.S. jobs and add 3,000 new U.S. high-tech positions.[162] The prospective merger parties said at the time the combined agriculture business planned to spend $16 billion on research and development over the next six years and at least $8 billion on research and development in the United States.[163] The global headquarters of Bayer CropScience is located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.[164][165][166]
Before the 2016 restructuring, Bayer HealthCare comprised a further four subdivisions: Bayer Schering Pharma, Bayer Consumer Care, Bayer Animal Health and Bayer Medical Care.[155] As part of the corporate restructuring, Animal Health was moved into its own business unit, leaving the division with the following categories; Allergy, Analgesics, Cardiovascular Risk Prevention, Cough & Cold, Dermatology, Foot Care, Gastrointestinals, Nutritionals and Sun Care.[170]
Bayer Consumer Care manages Bayer’s OTC medicines portfolio. Key products include analgesics such as Bayer Aspirin and Aleve, food supplements Redoxon and Berocca, and skincare products Bepanthen and Bepanthol.[155] Women’s healthcare is an example of a General Medicine business unit. Bayer Pharma produces the birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin. Both pills use a newer type of progestin hormone called drospirenone in combination with estrogen. Yaz is advertised as a treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and moderate acne. Other key products include the cancer drug Nexavar, the multiple sclerosis drug betaferon/betaseron and the blood-clotting drug, Kogenate.[155] In May 2014, it was announced that Bayer would buy Merck & Co‘s consumer health care unit for $14.2 billion.[171] Bayer also controls Dihon Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd in China.[172]
The Pharmaceuticals Division focuses on prescription products, especially for women’s healthcare and cardiology, and also on specialty therapeutics in the areas of oncology, hematology and ophthalmology. The division also comprises the Radiology Business Unit which markets contrast-enhanced diagnostic imaging equipment together with the necessary contrast agents.[173]
Bayer Chemicals AG (with the exception of H.C. Starck and Wolff Walsrode) was combined with certain components of the polymers segment to form the new company Lanxess on 1 July 2004; Lanxess was listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in early 2005.[177] Bayer HealthCare’s Diagnostics Division was acquired by Siemens Medical Solutions in January 2007.[178]
Bayer sold its Animal Health business to Elanco in 2020.[179]
Bayer Diabetes Care managed Bayer’s medical devices portfolio. Key products included the blood glucose monitors Contour Next EZ (XT), Contour, Contour USB and Breeze 2 used in the management of diabetes.[155] The diabetes business unit was sold to Panasonic Healthcare Co. for $1.15 billion in June 2015.[180] Bayer MaterialScience was a supplier of high-tech polymers, and developed solutions for a broad range of applications relevant to everyday life.[155] On 18 September 2014, the Board of Directors of Bayer AG announced plans to float the Bayer MaterialScience business on the stock market as a separate entity.[181] On 1 June 2015, Bayer announced that the new company would be named Covestro;[182] Bayer formally spun out Covestro in September 2015.[129]
For the fiscal year 2017, Bayer reported earnings of EUR€7.3 billion, with an annual revenue of EUR€35 billion, a decrease of 25.1% over the previous fiscal cycle.[183] Bayer’s shares traded at over €69 per share, and its market capitalization was valued at US€65.4 billion in November 2018.[184] In September 2019, Bayer announced to reduce the number of management board members from seven to five to reduce overall costs.[185]
The key trends of Bayer are (as at the financial year ending December 31):[186][187]
In 1904, the company founded the sports club TuS 04 (“Turn- und Spielverein der Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co.”), later SV Bayer 04 (“Sportvereinigung Bayer 04 Leverkusen”), finally becoming TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen (“Turn- und Sportverein”) in 1984, generally, however, known simply as Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The club is best known for its football team, but has been involved in many other sports, including athletics, fencing, team handball, volleyball, boxing, and basketball. TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen is one of the largest sports clubs in Germany. The company also supports similar clubs at other company sites, including Dormagen (particularly handball), Wuppertal (particularly volleyball), and Krefeld-Uerdingen (featuring another former Bundesliga football club, SC Bayer 05 Uerdingen, now KFC Uerdingen 05).[188]
In 2016, Standard Ethics Aei gave a rating to Bayer in order to include the company in its Standard Ethics German Index. Bayer received an EE− rating, the fourth tier in an eight-tier ranking.[191]
Ranked third in Access to Seeds Index in 2016.[192][193]
In August 2018, two months after Bayer acquired Monsanto,[194] a U.S. jury ordered Monsanto to pay $289 million to a school groundskeeper who claimed his Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was caused by regularly using Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide produced by Monsanto.[195] Following the Johnson v. Monsanto Co. verdict, Bayer’s share price dropped by around 14% or $14 Billion in market capitalization.[196] The company filed an appeal on 18 September 2018.[197] Pending appeal, the award was later reduced to $78.5 million.[198][199] In November 2018, Monsanto appealed the judgement, asking an appellate court to consider a motion for a new trial.[199] A verdict on the appeal was delivered in June 2020 upholding the verdict but further reducing the award to $21.5 million.[200] On 13 May 2019, a United States Superior Court Judge ordered Bayer to pay more than $ 2.5 billion in damages to a couple in California, both of whom contracted non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, later cut to $87 million on appeal.[201]
In June 2020, the company agreed to pay $9.6 billion to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits claiming harm from Roundup, saying this action will result in the resolution of 75% of those claims. Bayer will also assign $1.25 billion for future claims, an action that needs approval from the US District Court, Northern District of California. The settlement, according to the company, does not admit either liability or wrongdoing, but brings an end to irresolution in the case.[202] The settlement does not include three cases that have already gone to jury trials and are being appealed.[203] In July 2020, the California Court of Appeals denied the appeal but reduced the damages owed to $20.4 million.[204] As of 2023, around 165,000 claims, more than 50.000 of which still pending, have been made against Roundup, mostly alleging that it had caused cancer.[205]
The general consensus among national regulatory agencies, and the European Commission is that labeled usage of the herbicide poses no carcinogenic or genotoxic risk to humans.[206][207][208][209] In January 2020, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its interim registration review for Roundup, stating that it “…did not identify any risks of concern” for cancer and other risks to humans from glyphosate exposure.”[202] On 17 June 2022, California-based United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reexamine this 2020 finding that glyphosate did not pose a health risk for people exposed to it by any means.[210]
In 2019, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson (who market Xarelto together) settled around 25,000 lawsuits on the blood thinning drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) by agreeing to disburse $775 million (US) to federal and state plaintiffs who said the companies had not properly warned patients about possible fatal bleeding as a result of ingesting the drug. There was no admission of liability from the companies in the settlement as they noted they had prevailed in six previous trials. The settlement will be divided evenly between the companies.[211]
In 2019, a federal jury in San Francisco CA sided with Bayer in a $600 million (US) class action suit alleging that the company misinformed consumers by promoting its One A Day vitamins as supporting cardiac health, vigorous immune systems and boosting user energy. The suit was first filed as a nationwide class action; in 2017, the US District Court in San Francisco said subclasses of purchasers of the vitamin in Florida, New York, and California could act together.[212]
The jury found that the plaintiffs failed to prove that Bayer misrepresented its One A Day claims, and also did not demonstrate that any of the class representative consumers who purchased One A Day relied on the so-called false information as part of their buying decision.[213]
In the mid-1980s, when Bayer’s Cutter Laboratories realized that their blood products, the clotting agents Factor VIII and IX, were contaminated with HIV, the financial investment in the product was considered too high to destroy the inventory. Bayer misrepresented the results of its own research and knowingly supplied hemophilia medication tainted with HIV to patients in Asia and Latin America, without the precaution of heat treating the product, recommended for eliminating the risk. As a consequence, thousands who infused the product tested positive for HIV and later developed AIDS.[214]
On 14 February 2020, Bayer and BASF were ordered to pay Missouri peach farmer Bill Bader $15 million in damages as a result of destruction of his peach trees which was caused by the usage of dicamba by nearby farmers.[215] Dicamba was another product which Bayer acquired from Monsanto.[216] Bayer also inherited the lawsuit from Monsanto as well.[217][218] On 15 February 2020, Bayer – representing Monsanto – and BASF were ordered to pay not only the $15 million in damages, but an additional $250 million in punitive damages.[217][218][219] Bayer and BASF afterwards announced plans to appeal the $265 million fine.[220]
In June 2020, Bayer agreed to a settlement of up to $400 million for all 2015–2020 crop year dicamba claims, not including the $265 million judgement.[203] On 25 November 2020, U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. reduced the punitive damage amount in the Bader Farms case to $60 million.[221]
In June 2020, Bayer agreed to pay $800 million to settle lawsuits in a variety of jurisdictions which claimed contamination of public waterways with PCBs by Monsanto before 1978.[203] On 25 November 2020, however, U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin rejected Bayer’s settlement offer, which was now at $650 million, and allowed Monsanto-related lawsuits involving PCB to proceed.[222]
On 4 April 2023, a Delaware judge dismissed a lawsuit by Merck & Co’s seeking to hold Bayer AG responsible for more talc-related liabilities stemming from its $14.2 billion purchase of Merck’s consumer care business in 2014. The judge called Bayer’s interpretation of the purchase agreement “the only reasonable one,” and said letting Merck “dump” cases would give the Rahway, New Jersey-based company an incentive to prolong or stall lawsuits. Bayer said in a statement, it welcomed the decision, and it “will continue to defend itself against any further efforts by Merck to avoid or improperly transfer its liabilities to Bayer”.[223]
^ Jump up to:ab Peter Hayes (Cambridge University Press, 2001): “[O]ne of the first acts of the American occupation authorities in 1945 was to seize the enterprise as punishment for ‘knowingly and prominently … building up and maintaining German war potential’. Two years later, twenty-three of the firm’s principal officers went on trial … By the time John McCloy, the American high commissioner [for Germany], pardoned the last of them in 1951, IG Farben scarcely existed. Its holdings in the German Democratic Republic had been nationalized; those in the Federal Republic had been divided into six, later chiefly three, separate corporations: BASF, Bayer, and Hoechst.”[55]
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^ Innovative Medicines Initiative. “IMI Call Topics 2008”. IMI-GB-018v2-24042008-CallTopics.pdf. European Commission. Archived from the original on 15 October 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
^ Khoshnood M, McHenry L (2014). “Blood money: Bayer’s inventory of HIV-contaminated blood products and third world hemophiliacs”. Accountability in Research. 21 (6). California State University: 389–400. doi:10.1080/08989621.2014.882780. PMID24785997. S2CID38140759.
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Long after, a small girl huddled herself into the Fire, discovering 56 things about it. Threw her will and senses alone, not her thinking mind. Mankind discovered Fire. That had been there all along. It took about 200,000 years to discover its secrets before all of Mankind began to walk, talk, and walk on water. We began noticing what each other ate, used, lived, and roamed at. When she jumped into the Fire, a few dozen body and mental signals fired off in her small Brain. Like an astronaut going into space for the first time. Humankind had pulled a deer leg out of a lighting strike fire to eat. He eats the wolf or bison. He had other opposable eats. But nothing like this had happened to Mankind. Like the monkey on the beach washing off the sand until a hundred had, the world somehow knew what must be done as Humanity reached a higher state of survival. The powerful need to survive. L.R. Hubbard would famously say this is the basic impulse of Humanity. To Survive. Not only as a child, a mom, or a dad but as a tribe. A unit, a group. Us and Them. Those and those and us. The only separation was in other species and other breads of Humanity. The Nenauthaals. Now, as the world goes insane as a whole, we think little girls are boys and little boys are girls, so we turn them into a new reality for us, not them. We started to cook our meat to kill the bacteria and other impurities we did not know, yet we did the right thing. This fire thing allows our eating function to recover and become more efficient, moving power to our new source of being our bain. Now, Mankind uses Pills and pots or a helpful social worker. It now would and could grow. Fast forward a hundred thousand-plus years. We discover Religion, an out of belief in the Unknown, the dark side of the moon. Dualism was discovered by Zoroastra long after that little girl led the way for Humanity with no fan far parade or pat on the back. She did what was the right thing to do for all, not herself. Mankind became whole again until he wanted my wife, and all hell broke loose as Humankind separated Woman from man. The second dynamic was born even though it was there all along, just like Fire. We build worlds to worship this drive. As intense as that little girl had discovered with the Fire. It was the basis of a new level of dreams. Dreams that we all, no matter our placement, could have. Our future selves would arrive by flight to ensure and pamper us until we had become self-aware. Appearing as Gods and masias and spiritual leaders of all kinds. The last notice was Mohammid. But he was not the last. Then, Like the left Brain, right brain / the male, female/ the child, the mom and dad/ the chief, and this event, we began to fight each other. A beginning to a new state of man. What do you mean I can no longer knock her in the head and drag her to my cave? We began to look far out into the heavens and inward into ourselves for direction and answers to what it all means. We seemed to be part of this living business. The ego would be developed alongside the Ruling class. We began to separate ourselves into small specialized groups. Let the games begin. He has a crown, But I have freedom. So, rules and laws would become common. Ehtic, or what was right, became secondary, and laws were invented to control the crowd for the safety of the few. Wars would kill millions over a single girl. India had Arjuna, and Greece had Lillith. Some unexpected things happened. We were unaware that asteroid damage nearly destroyed the world along with Humankind. Then it would happen. Humankind’s first dreamer of dreams was so unusual that he would be jeopardized wherever he roamed. Zoroaster would dream of watching the Fire. He dreamed of millions of ways it would help Humankind of all kinds. Even the rocks and stones themselves are alive and flowing as heated rock called magma. Where new life would spring out after some time. They would wonder if there is this, is there that? and The Universe glorified him as The first aware man. This human was about 7500 years or so ago. After an event known collectively as The Yunger Dryuis event. Humanities dream had split into two beliefs. The Zoroastrians and the unbelievers or those that relied on brute force and domination. The man was strong, and the Woman was weak. A story would be presented: Adom was separated by a knife, and a rib was removed, creating the first Woman. A piece was about becoming a woman. Impossible physics would be the instrument. Waiting for Humanity to catch up and discover that a man emerges from the Woman. Not The other way around. Sex was impulse-driven, and what was even taking place? Eating a fish and getting a tummy ache was not a connected event. Zoroastra, like the young girl, would be Humand’s next link to a fuller being. He realized some opposites created something else entirely. Is Religion Early Science?
Became widespread until it was dominated by those who wanted something new called power. Religion begot Science, Science begot Medicine, and Medicine addiction begot death. Medicine looks inward and outward to the degree Science was allowed by Religion at that time. We went into the dark ages, a group thing. The church and its new power were not to be messed with. Now, war is far removed from individual men’s views, as Science throws Medicine at chemicals, needles, and doubts. Are we being altered to a slave solution? Are we being harvested in some way? Dualism is Humankind’s Only hope of finding a future where there is none. There is the Now, a hell on earth. That is it. Until we created Heaven. to direct the traffic of Humanity along to a future dream. We give our power away to all those who try to stop us from our lives. There is a Justice system, a system so despicable that it is feared by every human on the planet. causing it into continuous existence. Viruses are Causing us to fear life itself because of our primary need to survive. 25 million died in the early 2020s as the world trembles in fear of death from COVID-19, and Millions lost from AIDS. Science needs a higher level of training. These scientists are not trained or created by man or the University but by experience. The great Unknown. It is weaponized to root out not viruses but classes of people. What would a world of only one belief be like??? Sterile. We are now in an insane phase to become a world of androgynous races. Test tube babies are the norm. Isolation and sterol. AI will replace us. We will become the Borg. Humanity is on the brink of a giant leap forward in understanding its place within the Universe. We cannot get there by any older means. Not by Powers of War, Beliefs, or Self Richiousness. Science will help but not get us all there. Medicine will ease our suffering when we fall and go boom. It is through collectively respecting all of life, and Yes, that means each other. Not war or walls or nukes will make us whole. Talk, Touch, Laugh, Dance, and be with one another. Dualism is not A to Z but A to B. Be kind to one another, especially those who are different than you. Or someone you do not know. The Younger Dyuis event caused the flood that watered down the world and had nothing to do with Humankind. Ethics or costume or beliefs. Even the Gods were unprepared for this tragedy because they are rare and possibly hundreds of thousands of years apart. We have been removed from the surface of the earth’s ground and moved underground many times. It was an Astronomical event. No more than Global Warming has now. The frightened few want the world to suffer as they crucially build personal bunkers for the misunderstanding of the whole. Like any snake, it will need to be removed from the cave so Humankind can rebuild. A shore story to control, not just the masses, but all the masses only or for personal power. Everyone knows that Mommy can kiss any bo-bo away, and it gets better. That placebo of Momma created Science like a baby; she made a higher state for Humankind through touch, Not sound, taste, or lies. When a government does not disclose to its people, that civilization is on the way out. The men used Science as Medicine and warped it into Medicine as the power to control all life. The Phyciastric Doctor was born to mimic the priest with their nuns called Social Workers. This current war Israel started is why Israel attacked and destroyed Hammas Hospital. They have yet to be held accountable for their assault in New York. But the event only went after a particular group of people, Muslims. A wrong target at that time. The future of Humanity is what is up for grabs. Can a toenail control a whole body? You had better believe it can. Therefore, I postulate the children will set us free. Also, Why Isreal is Killing children Before they become self-aware? Oh yes, a back story is yet to be told. Ask any child what he wants for the future. A fear-free home and family. A nation and world in common beliefs unlike those of Relion Science or War. The main points are children first, moms second, dads third, and families fourth. Then, everyone else. In 200,000 years, Humanity has become the right Brain while weak on the left side. While leaving people’s bodies behind. Billionaires watch as children beg and sleep on the streets. A small pond is different than an ocean. Both water from the same rain. Wars were there. We had none before. Medicines are Unexplained and deadly or crippling to some. False medical beliefs without outside inspections. Known collectively as second opinions. Our future will and must be decided by a child. An incredible being of unknown source of power. A dreamer and creator (collective cause and effect) simultaneously. Yes, I got my duality in there.
A full political party site, designed to be easily understandable by children. Includes fun educational sections about democracy and participation, as well as information about the Unity Party of America.
A national coalition of politicians and policymakers dedicated to prioritizing optimal conditions for children from birth to age three, sharing research, and advocating for policy change in America.
A full political party site, designed to be easily understandable by children. Includes fun educational sections about democracy and participation, as well as information about the Unity Party of America.
A national coalition of politicians and policymakers dedicated to prioritizing optimal conditions for children from birth to age three, sharing research, and advocating for policy change in America.