Bayer secures 3 billion euros with financial investor Apollo

German pharmaceutical and agricultural giant Bayer is bringing in financial investor Apollo as a minority shareholder for its contraception division. This move aims to provide Bayer with greater financial flexibility as it grapples with substantial debt stemming from US lawsuits concerning glyphosate.

Through the deal with US-based Apollo, Bayer will secure 3 billion euros in equity. Apollo will receive a minority stake in a new entity into which Bayer is placing its business for reversible long-acting contraceptives (LARC). Bayer will retain majority ownership and full operational control of the LARC business, which remains a core part of its pharmaceutical division. The transaction is anticipated to be finalized in the third quarter of 2026.

Bayer has been entangled in costly litigation in the US for years over alleged cancer risks associated with its glyphosate-containing weedkillers. However, the company recently reached a preliminary settlement of $7.25 billion (nearly 6.4 billion euros) to resolve these disputes, with a final approval hearing scheduled for August 19. Additionally, Bayer achieved a significant legal victory when the US Supreme Court ruled that the company cannot be sued for failing to include cancer warnings on its weedkiller packaging. This decision is expected to undermine thousands of lawsuits related to Roundup, a product Bayer maintains does not pose a cancer risk.