Bayer bets on Parkinson's treatment while selling pesticides linked to the disease
By isabelle // 2025-10-02
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  • Bayer is developing a cure for Parkinson's disease while facing thousands of lawsuits alleging its pesticides contribute to causing illness.
  • The company is currently advancing a stem cell-based therapy through clinical trials.
  • This occurs as Bayer deals with massive litigation and billions in settlements from its glyphosate-based herbicides.
  • Research links a cocktail of pesticides, including several made by Bayer, to the development of Parkinson's.
  • This situation creates a cycle where the corporation may profit from both the cause and the cure of the same disease.
In a stunning display of corporate opportunism, the pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer is now positioning itself to profit from a cure for Parkinson's disease, a debilitating condition that its own products have been scientifically linked to causing. This move comes as Bayer faces a staggering 67,000 lawsuits alleging that its pesticides, including glyphosate, contribute to the very illness its new drug aims to treat. The company is launching a Phase 3 clinical trial for a stem cell-based therapy while simultaneously battling litigation that has already cost it approximately $11 billion in settlements related to its glyphosate-based weedkillers. The experimental treatment, bemdaneprocel, is being developed by Bayer's subsidiary BlueRock Therapeutics. It involves surgically implanting stem cells into a patient's brain, where they are intended to develop into mature dopamine neurons. These cells aim to restore neural networks destroyed by Parkinson's, a disease marked by the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. The therapy has been fast-tracked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, although it remains years from a potential market launch. This foray into a Parkinson's cure unfolds against a backdrop of immense financial and legal pressure on Bayer. The company's troubles are largely rooted in its 2018 acquisition of Monsanto, the maker of glyphosate-based herbicides. Glyphosate, along with other pesticides, has been repeatedly connected to the development of Parkinson's disease, the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world.

A cocktail of chemical culprits

The link between pesticides and Parkinson's is well-documented, and it extends beyond a single chemical. Research indicates that exposure to pesticide "cocktails" causes greater neurotoxicity to the dopaminergic neurons linked to Parkinson's than any single pesticide. A study published in Nature Communications identified 53 pesticides implicated in the disease. Among the substances directly toxic to the relevant neurons were several herbicides and fungicides made by Bayer. These include diquat, a key ingredient Bayer used to replace glyphosate in some Roundup formulations, which is banned in the EU, UK, and China. Another study identified long-term exposure to the pesticides simazine and atrazine, both of which Bayer produces, as having one of the strongest effects on increasing Parkinson's risk. This pattern suggests a disturbing cycle where the same corporation may profit from both the cause and the potential cure. Meanwhile, the underhanded tactics used by chemical companies to obscure the dangers of their products have been coming to light in recent years. Internal documents from Syngenta, another agrochemical giant and maker of the herbicide paraquat, reveal a decades-long campaign to "create an international scientific consensus against the hypothesis that paraquat is a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease." It is a perverse business model that first profits from selling products linked to a horrific disease and then positions itself to profit a second time from the treatment. For the millions of people around the world who are currently suffering from Parkinson's disease and the thousands who believe Bayer's products made them sick, the company's new investment in a cure offers cold comfort amid a history of alleged deception and an ongoing refusal to accept full responsibility. Ultimately, whether Bayer's stem cell therapy succeeds or fails, the company stands to profit handsomely either way: first from the poisons that may have caused the disease, and potentially again from the cure. Sources for this article include: ChildrensHealthDefense.org ChildrensHealthDefense.org Reuters.com
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