Felix HoffmannAugust 10, 1897: Dr. Felix Hoffmann, a chemist working at Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co., recorded in his laboratory logbook that he had succeeded in acetylating salicylic acid into a chemically pure and stable form of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Hoffmann developed acetylsalicylic acid with the intention of relieving rheumatic pain. Although the young Bayer researcher didn’t realize the significance of his achievement, in creating ASA he developed the active ingredient for the best-known and most frequently used medicine in the world: aspirin.Bayer AG introduced aspirin to the world a century ago in 1899. In 1915, aspirin - the first drug to be processed in tablet form - became available without a prescription. It remains the “gold standard” among painkillers to this day, and recent findings have even shown the drug to prevent heart attacks and strokes.Other notable research and development breakthroughs from Bayer include the discovery of polyurethane chemistry in the 1930s and development of the first broad-spectrum anti-microbial for treatment of fungal diseases in humans.Bayer’s first operations in the United States date back to 1865, when the company purchased an interest in a coal tar dye plant in Albany, N.Y. The company gradually expanded to include agricultural products, dyestuffs, and a wide variety of chemical products.
