BAYER PLANS CHINA PHARMA JV

German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer is planning to set up a joint venture in the People's Republic of China for the manufacture and marketing of products from the company's pharmaceuticals and self-medication business groups. The company's partner is the Beijing Economic Technological Investment Development Corporation.

The joint venture should be established before the end of this year, according to Bayer. Work will then start immediately on the construction of manufacturing plants on a BETIDC site in Beijing. The initial investment will total up to $30 million. Consideration will be given to further investments in the future, depending on how the market develops.

Bayer's US Unit Under Investigation Meantime, Bayer's unit in the USA, Miles Inc, is under investigation by the Inspector General's Office of the US Department of Health and Human Services. It is understood that the office is determining whether a violation has been made of the US antikickback law relating to a program run by Miles paying pharmacists to counsel patients about its cardiovascular agent Adalat (nifedipine; Marketletters passim).