Bayer committed to Monsanto integration, despite Roundup lawsuit
A jury awarded R289m to a man who says the glyphosate-based weed killer gave him cancer, but Bayer says growing conditions, not a court case, still inform demand for the product
Berlin — Bayer CEO Werner Baumann said the company is "fully committed" to integrating recent acquisition Monsanto, despite a $289m jury award and a rising wave of lawsuits seeking to link its weed-killer Roundup with cancer. There is "an awful lot of excitement and enthusiasm" at Bayer about the $66bn Monsanto purchase, Baumann said on a conference call on Thursday. He reiterated that the company believes the jury decision is "wrong" and "inconsistent with the robust science-based conclusions of regulators and health authorities worldwide". "Nothing has changed concerning our strategy, attractive synergy potential and longer-term growth and margin expectations for our combined crop-science business," Baumann said. "We are very optimistic." Some 8,000 lawsuits had been filed over glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, as of the end of July, Bayer said on Thursday. That compares to the 5,200 complaints previously disclosed, and the number will almost certainly keep climbing afte...
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