Bayer AG agreed to pay $39.5 million to settle allegations that its Monsanto unit ran misleading ads about the controversial Roundup weedkiller and its potential health risks to humans and animals.
As part of the deal, language will be removed from Roundup Weed and Grass Killer’s label saying that glyphosate — the product’s active ingredient — only affects an enzyme found in plants. Consumers alleged that the chemical attacks an enzyme found in humans and some animals.
The settlement comes as Bayer is feverishly working to resolve more than 13,000 lawsuits blaming exposure to glyphosate in Roundup for cancer in users. The company denies glyphosate causes cancer.
After losing three cancer trials in California that resulted in combined damages of $191 million, Bayer agreed to postpone the next round of Roundup trials to provide more time for negotiations. At least a half-dozen trials scheduled to start in the first quarter of this year have been put on hold.