Stable in a difficult market environment
Against a backdrop of difficult economic conditions, total revenues of Life Science Solutions decreased in 2009 by 1.2% to € 440 million. In the important market of North America, sales declined by 4.2% to € 81 million and in Latin America by 1.1% to € 48 million. The proceeds from the divestment of our business with natural substances in Brazil amounted to € 11 million. Furthermore, we optimized our business with measures to improve cash flow and systematically reduce inventories. We achieved very strong growth with natural crop enhancement technologies developed by our Crop BioScience business, particularly in North and Latin America.
New products for biopharmaceuticals
In 2009, we further intensified our research and development of materials for biopharmaceutical production. In the pharmaceutical sector, the share of the market accounted for by new biological entities has grown significantly compared to that of new chemical entities. We are taking this development into account by supplying the materials and services needed for biotech production along the value chain.
Innovative cosmetic active ingredients
In 2009, our cosmetic active ingredients business with some of our key global customers declined. However, we set new accents in the market with further developments of, for example, the self-tanning agent DHA Plus® and the successful brand Ronaflair®, functional fillers that feature special optical and sensory properties.
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