Bayer has won its first lawsuit over the Roundup scandal, lawyers revealed on Tuesday, after a US mother sued the German pharmaceutical company alleging the company's infamous weedkiller had caused her son's cancer.
Bayer Roundup. Credit: Pixavril / Shutterstock
Roundup is a herbicide that contains glyphosate, which is potentially carcinogenic. Credit: Pixavril / Shutterstock
A California jury found the product was not responsible for the child's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after his mother, Destiny Clark, sued the company after his death.
Read more: Bayer loses third consecutive US appeal over Roundup health issues
Shares in Bayer rose following the verdict. This is the fourth case the company has been involved in over Roundup, which it acquired when it purchased Monsanto in 2018, and its first victory.
The primary ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, which has been referred to by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as "probably carcinogenic" to humans.
The company has been embroiled in thousands of potential lawsuits since it acquired the brand.
Bayer pooled $2 billion (€1.73 billion) in funding earlier this year to allow it to deal with any future legal claims related to the weedkiller.
It is expected to award compensation to anyone whose cancer has been linked with the product, although the company continues to maintain glyphosate is not carcinogenic.
In a statement following the verdict, the company said: "While we have great sympathy for Ezra Clark and his family, the jury carefully considered the science applicable to this case and determined that Roundup was not the cause of his illness".
Bayer lost its first case over Roundup in August 2018, when groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson was awarded $290 million (€251 million) in damages.
French farmer Paul Francois was also awarded damages in October 2020 after an incident in 2004.
Read more: French farmer wins legal battle against Monsanto over Roundup health woes
Francois reportedly suffers from a slew of neurological problems owing to his contact with the herbicide.
The controversy has become so extreme, Bayer is allegedly looking to sell off its pest control unit, Bayer Environmental Science - the subsidiary formed due to its takeover of Monsanto.
It is likely it is doing this to cut its debt as it looks to expand away from pest control and into gene therapy.
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