Bayer notches more wins in Roundup weedkiller cancer trials

By Brendan Pierson

(Reuters) - Bayer on Tuesday said it won a trial in a lawsuit brought by a retired postal service worker in Pennsylvania who alleged he developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma from using the company's Roundup weedkiller.

In addition to the jury verdict in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Bayer said a California farmer, who said he contracted the same type of cancer from exposure to the product, and his wife on Tuesday voluntarily dropped their lawsuit while a trial was underway in the in state court in Sonoma County, California.

"We continue to stand behind the safety of Roundup and will confidently defend the safety of our products and our good faith actions in any future litigation," Bayer said in a statement.

Scott Love, a lawyer for Carl Kline, the plaintiff in the Pennsylvania case, said the jury had not been allowed to hear key evidence, including a finding by a World Health Organization body that glyphosate, Roundup's active ingredient, was likely capable of causing cancer.

A lawyer for the California plaintiffs, Michael and Bobbie Meyer, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It was not immediately clear why the Meyers dropped their case.

Tuesday's victories come on the heels of another trial win for the company in Arkansas on Friday. Bayer has now prevailed in 13 of the last 20 Roundup trials, while plaintiffs have scored large verdicts totaling more than $4 billion, including $2.25 billion in a single case in January.

The company is appealing its trial losses, which include large punitive damages awards that are likely to be reduced because they exceed U.S. Supreme Court guidance.

Around 165,000 claims have been brought in the U.S. against Bayer over Roundup, which the company acquired as part of its $63 billion purchase of U.S. agrochemical company Monsanto in 2018. Many were resolved as part of a $9.6 billion settlement in 2020, but about 54,000 remain.

Bayer CEO Bill Anderson told investors in a call on Tuesday that he was "considering every possible means to bring closure" to the litigation, including solutions "outside the courtroom," though he did not offer details.

The company phased out sales of glyphosate products for home use last year, though it still sells other formulations under the Roundup name.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot)