Pharmaceutical company Bayer took over weed killer Roundup in its acquisition of US agrochemical company Monsanto back in 2018. However, it has since been hit with thousands of cancer-related Roundup cases.
German agricultural and pharmaceutical giant Bayer has been instructed by a state court in the US state of Georgia to shell out $2.1 billion (€1.9bn) in a case regarding its Roundup weed killer, according to reports.
This is one of the biggest Roundup-related settlements Bayer has faced so far and was ordered by the State Court of Cobb County. It includes $2bn (€1.9bn) in punitive damages, as well as $65 million (€60m) in compensatory damages.
Bayer’s share price plunged 6.4% on the Frankfurt stock exchange on Monday morning.
The case was brought by a plaintiff who believed that the weed killer was responsible for his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Roundup has been heavily criticised as it is based on the herbicide glyphosate, which may cause cancer, although Bayer has consistently maintained that this is not the case.
