Bayer's Oncology Divestment and FDA Wins Take a Back Seat to Missouri's Pending Verdict
Published on 09/22/2026 at 09:02 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Bayer's US subsidiary Monsanto has asked a Missouri Circuit Court judge to sign off on a settlement package worth as much as $7.25 billion, a deal designed to close out tens of thousands of claims alleging that its glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. The hearing took place on September 14, with Monsanto pressing for confirmation of the agreement. No ruling followed the session, and a decision is not expected for several weeks — a delay that keeps the German group's legal overhang in place for now.
Plaintiffs' Lawyers Push Back
The wait stems in part from resistance on the other side of the courtroom. According to media reports, attorneys representing claimants have objected to the proposed terms, complicating the path to final approval. The blueprint calls for payouts spread across a period of up to 21 years, a structure intended to stretch the financial burden on the Leverkusen-based company while giving it a clearer planning horizon. For Bayer, the stakes are considerable: a confirmed deal would establish a predictable financial framework for gradually containing the long-running litigation tied to the herbicide.
Grünenthal Steps In for Stivarga
While the courtroom drama plays out, Bayer has been busy reshaping its product portfolio. The Grünenthal GmbH agreed today to acquire the oncology drug Stivarga, in a transaction that could bring Bayer as much as EUR 375 million. The move extends the company's stated push to streamline its business model — shedding older products frees up liquidity and trims day-to-day operational complexity, giving management more room to concentrate on more promising therapeutic areas. Investors greeted the news warmly, sending the stock up 2.1% to EUR 49.04.
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Fresh FDA Nods for Sevabertinib and Kerendia
The pipeline has delivered its own momentum. On September 9, the US Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to Sevabertinib, a targeted therapy cleared as a first-line treatment for adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors carry activating HER2/ERBB2 TKD mutations. A second regulatory win followed last Friday, when the FDA approved an additional indication for Finerenone, marketed as Kerendia, covering chronic kidney disease in patients with type-1 diabetes. Such label expansions shore up the commercial prospects of established compounds and broaden Bayer's future footing in chronic disease categories.
Valuation Still Tethered to the Courtroom
None of that has loosened the grip of the US litigation on the share price. Every procedural twist in the Roundup cases draws close scrutiny from the market, and the proposed $7.25 billion settlement — which Reuters reports is aimed at resolving roughly 65,000 claims — remains the single biggest swing factor for investors until the Missouri judge rules. The stock was quoted pre-market at EUR 49.02, leaving it 9.0% below its 52-week high of EUR 53.86. Even so, Bayer shares have climbed 32% since the start of the year, a gain that suggests shareholders are giving the company credit for cleaning up its structures both inside and outside the courtroom.
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