Bayer controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
2019
Australian farmer sues Monsanto over Roundup
Lawsuit filed
In 2019, Ross Wild, a farmer from New South Wales, Australia, filed a lawsuit against Monsanto, alleging that long-term exposure to Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and that the product's warnings were inadequate. Bayer Australia, the parent company of Monsanto, responded that the scientific evidence supported the conclusion that Roundup did not cause the disease. The case was reported by ABC News on 10 October 2019.
NSW farmer Ross Wild filed a lawsuit against Monsanto, alleging that long-term exposure to Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and that product warnings were inadequate. Bayer Australia said the scientific evidence supported the conclusion that Roundup did not cause the disease.
Company response
Denial — Bayer Australia
In a statement, Bayer Australia said it had great sympathy for any individual with cancer, but the "extensive body of science" on glyphosate-based herbicides supported the conclusion that Roundup did not cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Source excerpt
Mr Carbone said the warnings on Roundup bottles were inadequate and his client's clothes and body had been "drenched" in the herbicide over a 40-year period of use.
Mr Wild's case was lodged with the Victorian Supreme Court earlier this week.
Last year, Mr Wild was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and he claims long-term exposure to Roundup's active ingredient, glyphosate, is to blame.
2019
Bayer fined over Supradyn Kids advertising
Fine or penalty
Hungary's acting Competition Council fined Bayer €20,000 and ordered it to terminate communications for Supradyn Kids supplement products. The Council found that a television ad promoting Supradyn Kids multivitamins involved unfair commercial practices against consumers.
Source excerpt
In fining the firm €20,000 (HUF 7m) the acting Competition Council ordered Bayer to “terminate all means of communication of the Supradyn Kids multivitamin omega 3 and choline dietary supplement products”.
“The acting Competition Council finds that Bayer Hungária Kft has conducted unfair commercial practices against consumers in a television ad promoting the Supradyn Kids multivitamin published between November 14, 2016 and February 26, 2017,” the order stated.
2018
Roundup litigation
After acquiring Monsanto, Bayer became the defendant in extensive litigation over whether glyphosate-based Roundup products cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other cancers. Bayer contests the claims while pursuing settlements and appeals.
2001
Baycol safety crisis
Bayer withdrew Baycol after reports of rhabdomyolysis and associated kidney failure, including deaths, led to regulatory and public scrutiny.
1980
Contaminated hemophilia products
Cutter, a Bayer subsidiary, was among manufacturers whose blood-clotting products infected hemophiliacs with HIV and other pathogens during the early AIDS era. Later disclosures concerning distribution of untreated products outside the United States intensified criticism.
1960
Primodos pregnancy-test controversy
The hormone-based pregnancy test Primodos was blamed by campaigners for birth defects and was withdrawn in the 1970s. Later official reviews found the evidence inconclusive.
1939
IG Farben forced labor and wartime crimes
Bayer's predecessor within IG Farben was involved in the Nazi war economy, forced labor, concentration-camp production, and medical experimentation. Allied authorities dismantled IG Farben after the war.