What should I know about Bayer?
Bayer is a German life-science company headquartered in Leverkusen. It was founded in 1863 in Barmen by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskott and operates three main divisions: Crop Science (seeds and crop protection), Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Health. In 2018 it bought the US agricultural company Monsanto for $66 billion. Bill Anderson is chief executive. In the second quarter of 2026 Bayer reported group sales of €10.872 billion, with Crop Science the largest division at €4.910 billion.
What are Bayer's main drugs?
Bayer's pharmaceuticals division had second-quarter 2026 sales of €4.458 billion, up 0.8%. Its prostate cancer drug Nubeqa and kidney drug Kerendia were the main drivers of sales growth. Other well-known products include the blood thinner Xarelto, which it sells outside the US, and the eye drug Eylea. Consumer Health, which sells over-the-counter products, had sales of €1.445 billion. In Crop Science, glyphosate-based weedkillers such as Roundup come from the Monsanto business. Bayer confirmed its 2026 outlook.
What is Bayer currently developing?
Bayer's recent pharmaceutical news includes FDA approval of sevabertinib as a cancer treatment. The company's second-quarter results release focuses more on finances than pipeline: it said it is "well on track" operationally and has lowered its expected year-end net financial debt to €29 billion to €30 billion, from €32 billion to €33 billion. Net financial debt was €33.6 billion at the end of June 2026, and free cash flow in the quarter was negative.
Have there been any controversies involving Bayer?
Bayer's recent pharmaceutical news includes FDA approval of sevabertinib as a cancer treatment. The company's second-quarter results release focuses more on finances than pipeline: it said it is "well on track" operationally and has lowered its expected year-end net financial debt to €29 billion to €30 billion, from €32 billion to €33 billion. Net financial debt was €33.6 billion at the end of June 2026, and free cash flow in the quarter was negative.
Have there been any controversies involving Bayer?
Bayer's biggest controversy is Roundup, the glyphosate weedkiller it inherited from Monsanto. Plaintiffs alleged it causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and by 2023 about 165,000 claims had been filed, according to reporting on its legal history. Bayer agreed a $9.6 billion settlement in 2020, and Monsanto reached a class settlement in February 2026. On 26 June 2026 the US Supreme Court ruled in the Durnell case that federal law bars state-law failure-to-warn claims where the EPA has established a product's safety, likely curbing most remaining cases.