The pharmaceutical and agrochemical company Bayer is making progress in the development of an alternative to the controversial weed killer glyphosate. “We are already testing this new substance on real plants,” CEO Bill Anderson told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (F.A.S.). “Our goal is to launch the new product on the market in 2028, i.e. in four years’ time.” According to Anderson, this is the first ground-breaking innovation in this field for 30 years.

Glyphosate was developed by the American agrochemical company Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer in 2018 for more than 60 billion dollars. Since then, expensive legal disputes have plagued the Leverkusen-based company. In the USA, Bayer is facing tens of thousands of lawsuits for damages due to alleged damage to health following the use of glyphosate.

In view of the legal disputes in the USA, “new approaches inside and outside the courtroom” are to be pursued in order to reduce legal risks and the associated uncertainties, Bayer announced [March 5]. Investors have long criticized the company’s failure to draw a line under the glyphosate issue. At the end of January, around 54,000 cases were outstanding, 2,000 more than in October. The provisions set aside for this also amounted to 6.3 billion US dollars (5.7 billion euros) at the end of 2023. “Glyphosate is safe,” Anderson emphasized on [March 5].

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