NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) - A top Bayer

pharmaceutical executive said on Wednesday his group will

continue slashing managerial jobs this year, planning cuts in

Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands

as part of the company's internal reorganization.

The pharmaceutical unit has already cut around 40% of its

managerial positions in the U.S. and has also implemented cuts

in Canada, Mexico, Italy, Australia and the Nordic countries,

Sebastian Guth, chief operating officer of Bayer

Pharmaceuticals, said in an interview with Reuters.

Guth would not say exactly how many jobs the company has cut

in those countries, but noted that "40% is sort of the range

that we tend to see - some are a little lower and some are a

little higher."

"We're not shooting for a specific number," Guth said. "For

an organization of our size, there's just a lot of work that is

being done that ultimately doesn't add value to customers and

products."

According to Guth, the reorganization is already paying

dividends. For example, the company was able to shave off around

a year from its timeline for filing for regulatory approval for

its higher dose formulation of its macular degeneration

treatment Eylea in Europe.

Regeneron, which sells Eylea in the U.S., received approval

for a high-dose version of the drug last year.

Bill Anderson, who became Bayer's CEO in June 2023,

announced cuts to management late last year. He has had a

tumultuous start, with a continued wave of litigation about an

alleged cancer-causing effect of weedkiller glyphosate and a

major setback in drug development late last year.

Anderson said in March that he would suspend for up to three

years any preparations to break apart the German maker of

pharmaceuticals, crop protection products and consumer health

remedies.