Is Bayer regretting its Monsanto takeover?

Big mergers are difficult to do well, and rarely deliver on the promise of cost savings and efficiency improvements. Everyone expects a few snags but Bayer’s takeover of Monsanto is running into more serious problems.

With over 13,000 pending lawsuits alleging Monsanto’s glyphosate herbicide causes cancer, and having lost three of those cases in the past year, it appears Bayer is in for a rough ride through the courts. The latest case saw a jury award the suing couple over $2 billion (£1.5 billion) in damages, and while this will almost certainly be reduced at the appeal (see p17), I’ve no doubt that Bayer’s leadership and investors have had some sleepless nights.