The US Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that German agrochemical giant Bayer may not be sued over the absence of cancer warnings on the packaging of its Roundup weedkiller, which contains the chemical glyphosate.
The ruling marks a major win for Bayer in its long-running legal battle over the weedkiller, with tens of thousands of people in the US having attributed cancer to the glyphosate in Roundup.
The top court held that federal law requires standardized labelling approved by the government, preventing individual states from imposing additional warning requirements. The ruling is likely to undermine the basis for many lawsuits relating to Roundup.
Glyphosate has been deemed by the World Health Organization "probably carcinogenic to humans," although Bayer disputes the claim.
Following the ruling, Bayer's shares surged by up to 15%. The company welcomed the decision as "good for science, farmers, and industries that depend on regulatory clarity for innovation."
In February, the agrochemical and pharma major announced it has reached a $7.25 billion class action settlement in the US to resolve lawsuits relating to Roundup.
The Roundup litigation largely stems from Bayer's 2018 acquisition of US seed and chemicals company Monsanto.
