Frankfurt | Reuters — German drugs and pesticides group Bayer reported a 9.5 billion-euro (C$14.86 billion) net loss for its second quarter, following a US$10.9 billion settlement of U.S. lawsuits claiming that its Roundup herbicide caused cancer. The charges stemmed mainly from agreements which attempted to wrap up legal disputes inherited with its US$63 billion […] Read more

Bayer books second-quarter loss after settlement

BASF says dividends, asset values under review as pandemic bites
Frankfurt | Reuters – Germany’s BASF said on Wednesday its dividend policy and the value of assets on its balance sheet might be revised given uncertainty caused by the coronavirus crisis, particularly in North America and Europe. The policy of the world’s largest chemicals and plastics maker by sales to increase dividends each year and […] Read more

Court blocks sales of dicamba in U.S.
Bayer says it's seeking new EPA registration for 2021
Updated — Reuters — A U.S. appeals court has blocked Bayer from selling an agricultural weed killer in the United States, the latest setback for a business already fighting an expensive legal battle over another product. A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) substantially […] Read more

Bayer reporting progress in Roundup settlement talks
Frankfurt | Reuters — Bayer said on Monday it had made progress seeking a settlement over claims its glyphosate-based Roundup herbicide causes cancer, after Bloomberg reported the company reached a verbal agreement on about 50,000 to 85,000 cases. The drugs and pesticides group is keen to draw a line under the legal dispute, which it […] Read more

Pressure on for Bayer CEO to fix legal problems as chairman quits
Frankfurt | Reuters — The departure of Bayer chairman Werner Wenning will turn up the heat on CEO Werner Baumann to resolve the healthcare to agriculture group’s legal problems, two of the firm’s biggest German shareholders said on Wednesday. Bayer’s shares have plunged about a quarter in value since August 2018, when the company lost […] Read more

Bayer considers new tactic in Roundup settlement talks
Reuters — As Bayer tries to settle U.S. lawsuits claiming that its Roundup herbicide causes cancer, the company is considering a proposal that would bar plaintiffs’ lawyers involved in the litigation from advertising for new clients, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bayer has said it is engaged in mediation to resolve the […] Read more

K+S cuts output on weak potash demand
Frankfurt | Reuters — German mineral miner K+S will cut production of potash fertilizers, dragging core earnings lower, as a halt imposed by China on potash imports dampens global markets. “In the current weak market environment, which is further intensified by the continuing Chinese import bans on the standard potassium chloride product, adjusting production is […] Read more

Elanco to become No. 2 in animal health with Bayer deal
Reuters — Elanco Animal Health agreed to buy Bayer’s veterinary drugs unit on Tuesday in a cash and stock deal valued at US$7.6 billion (C$10 billion), creating the second largest maker of medicines for livestock and pets and expanding Elanco’s reach online. The deal is the latest in the fast-growing animal health market, which has […] Read more

Bayer mediator dismisses report of Roundup settlement
New York/Frankfurt | Reuters — Bayer AG has not offered to pay billions of dollars to settle claims in the United States related to the Roundup herbicide, mediator Ken Feinberg said, dismissing a report to that effect which drove its shares as much as 11 per cent higher. “Bayer has not proposed paying $8 billion […] Read more

Investors call for reprieve for Bayer bosses after AGM rebuke
Frankfurt | Reuters — Three of Bayer’s largest German investors said the drugmaker’s embattled management needed to stay at the helm to avoid further upheaval, despite their unease over a share price slump in the wake of the US$63 billion Monsanto takeover. The backing for CEO Werner Baumann comes after an unprecedented rebuke at the […] Read more