Bayer to Pay $1.6 Billion to End U.S. Suits Over Contraceptive

Bayer AG agreed to pay $1.6 billion to resolve most of the U.S. litigation over its now-withdrawn Essure contraceptive device, which some women said caused excessive bleeding and pelvic pain or failed to prevent pregnancies.

The deal will resolve about 90% of the 39,000 lawsuits consolidated in courts in California and Pennsylvania, Bayer said Thursday in a statement. The proposed payout is considerably more than the $1.1 billion Bayer paid in 2013 to acquire Conceptus Inc., the company that developed the device. Bayer stopped selling Essure in 2018.

Legal bills are piling up at Bayer. The Leverkusen, Germany-based ...