Now Facing 8,000 Roundup Lawsuits, Bayer Says It ‘Will Vigorously Defend’ its Herbicide

The drugmaker may be bracing for years of legal wrangling over the alleged cancer risks of glyphosate-based weed killers.

Reuters
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The number of U.S. lawsuits brought against Bayer’s newly acquired Monsanto has jumped to about 8,000, as the German drugmaker braces for years of legal wrangling over alleged cancer risks of glyphosate-based weed killers.

Bayer previously disclosed 5,200 such lawsuits against Monsanto, which it acquired in a $63 billion deal completed in June.

“The number of plaintiffs in both state and federal litigation is approximately 8,000 as of end-July. These numbers may rise or fall over time, but our view is that the number is not indicative of the merits of the plaintiffs’ cases,” Bayer Chief Executive Werner Baumann told analysts in a conference call on [August 23].

CEO Baumann reiterated Bayer’s view that the jury’s verdict on August 10 was inconsistent with the science-based conclusions of regulators.

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