Bayer spies an end to a long legal battle

Business | Moving on from Monsanto Bayer spies an end to a long legal battle After a settlement over Roundup, what about break-up? Share Mar 5th 2026 | BERLIN | 3 min read W hen Bill Anderson became Bayer’s boss in 2023, shareholders had high hopes that the American would be able to put the German drugs and chemicals firm to rights. Bayer’s $63bn takeover of Monsanto, an American crop-science firm, five years earlier had turned out to be perhaps the most disastrous merger in German corporate history. It exposed Bayer to legal claims related to Roundup, one of Monsanto’s weedkillers, that have cost it billions, causing its stockmarket value to dip at times to less than half of what it paid for Monsanto. In March 2024 Mr Anderson promised that by 2026 he would contain the Roundup litigation, refresh the drug pipeline, cut costs and bring down debt. This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Moving on from Monsanto” From the March 7th 2026 edition Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents ⇒ Explore the edition Share Reuse this content More from Business Formula One is attracting a different sort of fan Lifestyle as much as motor racing is drawing in newcomers Bartleby A short guide to email opening lines “I hope you are well” and other classics Schumpeter What the heirs to General Electric did next Their success illustrates the benefits of breaking up—and more The Iran war is a jolt to Dubai’s business model Can the emirate keep people and investors coming? Airlines take a hit from hostilities in the Middle East The war will hurt the Gulf carriers—and the whole industry too At last, reasons to be cheerful about European tech One of which is Donald Trump