The investment is intended to contribute to its sustainability objectives.

  • Bayer is committed to providing access to modern contraceptives for women in low- and middle-income countries and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
  • The new state-of-the-art pharmaceutical plant, which will produce long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), is already under construction in the Coyol Free Zone, Alajuela.
  • Costa Rica offers Bayer an excellent strategic location, qualified talent, sustainability policies and the necessary conditions for private investment.

Costa Rica, October 5, 2021. Bayer announced a US$200 million (170 million euros) investment in Costa Rica to provide access to family planning to more women in low- and middle-income countries. The company is already building a new pharmaceutical plant for the production of long-acting reversible contraceptives, such as hormonal implants and intrauterine systems (IUS), in Coyol Free Zone, Province of Alajuela. It will be a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical facility, expected to begin production in 2024, and will work in coordination with other Bayer plants around the world.

Empowering women by supporting their family planning and self-determination is an important part of Bayer’s sustainability commitments. At the 2019 International Conference on Population and Development, Bayer announced its goal to provide access to modern contraceptives to 100 million women in low- and middle-income countries by 2030, as part of its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The investment announced today contributes significantly to this undertaking.

The President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado, said: “This is an emblematic project, in all senses. It is so because of the magnitude of the investment. It is so because of the scale of the ambition to improve the access of tens of millions of women to modern methods to materialize their family decisions. It is because it reflects an enormous vote of confidence in our human talent, our investment climate and Costa Rica’s institutional framework by a world giant in innovation and quality. For this and much more, it will mark a before and after in this area and in the consolidation of our successful and dynamic life sciences cluster.”

“Here we see a convergence of what we strive every day to be Costa Rica, a country that increasingly attracts more foreign investment and creates high quality jobs, based on its human talent and its deep commitment to sustainability, creating a unique value proposition for purposeful investment and for establishing long-term relationships, such as the one that has united us with Bayer for more than 40 years, and that today we are taking to another level,” concluded the Costa Rican President.

Christian Meyer, president of Bayer Central America, Caribbean and Andean Countries, commented that “our knowledge, scientific research and new developments to produce long-lasting contraceptives is crucial to achieve our commitment to sustainability. Due to the increase in unmet need for family planning, our current manufacturing network needs to increase capacity. Based on this need, Costa Rica was selected, evidencing the confidence that the country offers us for our business, grounded on its strategic location, valuable human talent with the necessary knowledge for the management of our technology, as well as sustainability policies that favor the development and attraction of private investment.”

“We want to demonstrate, once again, the commitment we have to this important country in our region,” Meyer continued. “We have grown thanks to the Costa Ricans during more than 40 years of history together, working for the country, where we also have a medical device plant located in Heredia, a shared services center that serves the entire American continent, except Brazil, as well as two plants focused on research and development in the agricultural sector.”

The Minister of Foreign Trade, Andrés Valenciano, said: “Today is a historic day for the foreign trade sector, for our country, and particularly for Costa Ricans. We celebrate that one of the leading companies in the Life Sciences sector continues to grow in our country. We appreciate the trust they have placed in us and the opportunities for the welfare and development of our people. As a country, we understand the language of business and that we work to continue cultivating the synergy of mutual growth and development. Costa Rica is a small country with big minds and the desire to make a difference. Having allies like Bayer means that together we can continue to build a more sustainable and inclusive country.”

Jimmy Suazo, manager of the new site that will be named Bayer Medical Alajuela, which is estimated to have approximately 28,000 square meters of construction and 6 production lines, explained that “the plant is expected to have around 250 employees by the start of operations, expanding recruitment as our production also increases. On the other hand, I would also like to emphasize that Costa Rica’s ongoing commitment to sustainability is appropriately aligned with Bayer’s sustainability commitments, another fundamental point as to why we are announcing this major investment in our country today.”

Jorge Sequeira, General Director of CINDE, commented “Bayer’s investment in this mega-project in the field of pharmaceuticals and medical device manufacturing positions us as a country where purposeful companies can leverage the sustainability conditions we offer to produce responsibly. The third largest product of the biopharmaceutical division will be produced in Costa Rica, allowing us to respond to global demand and positioning us, at the same time, as a global benchmark in the industry. Bayer confirms that the country was chosen to install this investment project because it meets the technical and competitive capabilities required for the operation under the cornerstone of sustainability”.

The products from the Costa Rican plant will be used in programs of international organizations, 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 coordinating and distributing the products according to their needs. “I am proud to say that with our work we will be giving women the opportunity to define their own future, as planning allows them to build healthier families, generating a positive ripple effect on health systems, on the economy of our countries, and on the welfare of society in general,” Suazo concluded.


About Bayer
Bayer is a multinational company with core competencies in the biosciences of health and food. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and making a positive impact on its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its purchasing power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand is synonymous with trust, reliability, and quality around the world. In fiscal year 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales worth €41.4 billion. R&D expenditure before exceptional items amounted to €4.9 billion. Further information can be found at www.bayer.com.