Bayer recently unveiled a $200 million investment in Costa Rica, which will provide access to family planning for more women in low- and middle-income countries. In the Coyol Free Zone, in Alajuela, construction is already underway on a new pharmaceutical plant for the production of long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as hormonal implants and intrauterine systems (IUS). The result will be a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical facility, which is expected to begin production in 2024 and will work in coordination with other Bayer plants around the world.
 
Among Bayer’s sustainability commitments, it is important to both empower women and support their family planning and self-determination. At the 2019 International Conference on Population and Development, Bayer announced its goal, by 2030, to provide 100 million women in low- and middle-income countries with access to modern contraceptives, as part of its contribution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Their investment, announced today, contributes significantly to this commitment.
 
“This is an emblematic project, in every way: The magnitude of the investment. The scale and ambition to improve access to tens of millions of women to modern methods of family planning. And the huge vote of confidence, from a world giant in innovation and quality, for Costa Rica’s human talent, our investment climate, and institutional framework,” said Carlos Alvarado, the President of Costa Rica. “For this and much more, this investment will mark a before and after, both in the sector and in the consolidation of our successful and dynamic life sciences cluster.”
 
Christian Meyer, president of Bayer Central America, the Caribbean, and Andean Countries, said, “Our knowledge, scientific research, and new developments in producing long-lasting contraceptives are crucial to achieving our commitment to sustainability. Due to increasing unmet needs for family planning, our current manufacturing network requires an increase in capacity. Based on this need, Costa Rica was selected, thus evidencing the trust that the country instills in us for our businesses, based on its strategic location and valuable human talent offering the knowledge necessary to manage our technology, as well as sustainability policies, such as those that promote the development and capture of private investment.
 
“We want to demonstrate, once again, the commitment we have in this country so important to our region. We have grown, thanks to Costa Ricans and over our more than 40 years together, working in the country, where we also operate a medical device plant in Heredia, a shared services center that serves the entire American continent (except Brazil), and two plants dedicated to agricultural sector research and development.”
 
Jimmy Suazo, manager of the new Bayer Medical Alajuela site, which is estimated at approximately 28,000 square meters (300,000+ square feet) of construction and 6 production lines, said, “The plant is expected to employ around 250 people upon launch of its operations, with increasing hiring needs as our production also increases. Additionally, I would also like to highlight that Costa Rica’s permanent commitment to sustainability aligns with Bayer’s sustainability commitments – another fundamental point that supports today’s announcement of why we’re investing in Costa Rica.”
 
Products from the Costa Rican plant will be destined for international organizational programs, such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), since they have recently added Bayer’s hormonal IUS to their respective catalogs and will be in charge of defining the countries, as well as coordination and distribution according to their needs.