Bayer wins latest Roundup cancer trial, ends losing streak By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Bayer AG’s logo is pictured during the German pharmaceutical company’s annual results press conference in Leverkusen, Germany, February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo

Brendan Pearson

(Reuters) – Bayer (OTC:) has won a trial in a lawsuit brought by a California man who claimed exposure to Roundup herbicide gave him cancer, ending a five-game losing streak for the company in trials over similar products. . opinion.

Bayer announced Friday that the verdict was reached by a jury in California’s San Benito County Superior Court. The company said in a statement that the ruling was “consistent with the evidence in this case that Roundup does not cause cancer and is not responsible for the plaintiff’s illness.”

Attorneys for plaintiff Bruce Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Like most of the plaintiffs in the Roundup lawsuit, Jones claimed the product caused him to develop a form of cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

About 165,000 claims have been filed against the company for injuries caused by Roundup, which Bayer acquired as part of its $63 billion acquisition of the U.S. agricultural chemical company. Monsanto (NYSE:) 2018.

Before a recent string of losses that resulted in judgments against the company totaling more than $2 billion, Bayer had won nine consecutive trials. This now means wins in 10 of the last 15 trials. More cases are expected to go to trial next year.

Bayer is appealing the ruling, which included large punitive damages that will likely be reduced because they exceed U.S. Supreme Court guidelines.

The losses have led some investors to question Bayer’s legal strategy in defending the Roundup case. The company said last month that it would continue to litigate the case in court and was “not willing to write large checks” to settle it.

In 2020, Bayer settled most of its then-pending Roundup cases for up to $9.6 billion, but failed to reach a settlement covering future cases. More than 50,000 claims are pending.