Companies Exposed To Product Liability Despite Lack Of Scientific Evidence

Global pharmaceutical and life sciences giant Bayer AG is currently negotiating thousands of US lawsuits claiming that the company’s glyphosate-based Roundup grass and weed killer causes a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

More than 42,700 plaintiffs brought the suit against Monsanto Co’s Roundup (Monsanto is a subsidiary of Germany-based Bayer AG), claiming that the active ingredient glyphosate in the weed killer is carcinogenic and therefore causes a risk to public health.

Plaintiffs also accused the company of deceiving customers about the risks. Bayer AG has so far lost three US jury trials over this case, but maintains its intention to appeal the decisions, stating that Roundup is safe for human use.

This is a huge product liability case, which is unique in nature.

As of January 30, 2020, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded “after a thorough review of the best available science” that “there are no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used according to the label and that it is not a carcinogen.”