BASF Pipeline Report

By Scott C. Lucas|18 March 2007

The company promoted one promising fungicide to its development from its discovery pipeline, and noted work on the development of seven new active ingredients and on one new herbicide tolerance project.

Seven additional crop protection active ingredients are currently being introduced to the market. In 2006, BASF launched the corn herbicide topramezone.

“Our development pipeline is in good shape, with projects making fast progress toward market introduction,” said Michael Heinz, president of BASF Agricultural Products. “The clear focus in our research and development work is paying off. In the coming years we will be launching promising compounds with novel modes of action that were designed for our key strategic markets and segments,” he added. BASF continues to focus its research efforts on fungicides and insecticides, while pursuing selected opportunities in herbicides. At the same time, the company has pressed ahead with its dedicated research for the plant health and seed treatment segments.

This year, the company plans to launch two new technologies, orysastrobin and metaflumizone. Orysastrobin is an easy-to-use, broad-spectrum rice fungicide which was developed for the Japanese market. The insecticide metaflumizone will be used in urban pest control and the fruit and vegetables segment.

The company also noted that strategic divestments would continue. “We are an innovation-driven team,” Heinz said, “building on a lean and agile organization. That’s why we continue to prune our product portfolio and optimize costs and assets.” In 2006, BASF divested major parts of the generics business Micro Flo in North America and the global terbufos insecticide business.