Bayer is launching a Phase 3 clinical trial of a stem cell-based Parkinson’s treatment through its BlueRock subsidiary, even as the company faces thousands of lawsuits over pesticides linked to the disease. The move highlights Bayer’s dual role in both contributing to and seeking to profit from Parkinson’s disease.

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Editor's Note: The Georgia Record has reported extensively on the Georgia legislature's decision, and Governor Kemp's approval, to grant product liability immunity to Bayar regarding disclosure of risks to the public.

by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D.

Bayer is launching a new experimental Parkinson’s disease treatment, even as the pharmaceutical and chemical behemoth continues to profit off sales of pesticides linked to the disease.

The company announced last week that its BlueRock Therapeutics LP subsidiary had begun a Phase 3 clinical trial for bemdaneprocel — a drug designed to replace the dopamine-producing brain cells killed by the neurodegenerative disease.

The drug is derived from stem cells surgically implanted into the brain of a person with Parkinson’s disease. Once implanted, the stem cells may develop into mature dopamine neurons to re-form the neural networks affected by Parkinson’s.

They “potentially” restore motor and non-motor function to patients. The drug was fast-tracked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2021.

Bemdaneprocel is likely years from the market, yet Bayer is investing heavily in manufacturing infrastructure for future cell and gene therapy products. Part of that effort includes building a $250 million facility in California, according to Reuters.

Cell and gene therapy technologies for cancer are already generating revenue for other companies, but BlueRock is the first company to take a cell therapy for Parkinson’s to Phase 3 trials.

Bayer’s financial challenges stem in part expired patents on two of its blockbuster drugs, anticoagulant Xarelto and eye medicine Eylea.

But Bayer’s bigger financial problems are rooted in its 2018 acquisition of Monsanto, according to Reuters. Monsanto’s weedkiller glyphosate is linked to cancer and Parkinson’s — the same disease Bayer may profit from with a new treatment.

So far, Bayer has paid approximately $11 billion to settle glyphosate lawsuits, and estimates there are still 67,000 active lawsuits pending against it.

Many of Bayer’s pesticides linked to Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world, characterized by a loss of neurons in the part of the brain that creates dopamine and that is responsible for motor control.

While there is no known cure for Parkinson’s, there are some known causes. Studies show exposure to multiple pesticides is strongly linked to the development of the disease.

The most widely reported links between pesticides and Parkinson’s target Syngenta’s weedkiller paraquat.

Through an investigation of internal documents at Syngenta, journalist Carey Gillam revealed that the company was aware its pesticide caused neurological changes that are the hallmark of the disease, but secretly worked to squash scientific proof of the link.

However, recent studies connect other pesticide exposures to the disease, as well.

Multiple case studies, an epidemiological study, animal studies and recent studies examining multiple pesticide exposures show glyphosate, a known neurotoxin, likely plays a role in Parkinson’s.

However, scientists writing in top medical journals say more research and improved regulation are needed, citing the understudied link between glyphosate and Parkinson’s as a paradigmatic example of the problem.

Part of the issue, they say, is that pesticide companies themselves conduct most of the research, and most research targets single pesticides in isolation.

Emerging evidence shows that Parkinson’s is also — and perhaps more frequently — linked to exposure to pesticide “cocktails.” These cause “greater neurotoxicity to dopaminergic neurons than any single pesticide,” because different pesticides have different mechanisms of action. When combined, they can create more neurological damage.

Research published in Nature Communications examined the chemical exposure history for Parkinson’s patients and identified 53 pesticides implicated in the disease.

The 10 chemical substances identified as directly toxic to the neurons linked to Parkinson’s included pesticides, herbicides and fungicides made by Bayer.

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Among those are endosulfan, which the company made but phased out in response to international pressure; diquat, a key ingredient that Bayer used to replace glyphosate in Roundup and which is banned in the EU, U.K. and China; and fungicides containing copper sulfate and folpet.

Another study identified long-term exposure to 14 pesticides with an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease in people living in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains region.

The top three pesticides with the strongest effect were simazine, atrazine and lindane. Bayer makes multiple pesticides containing simazine and atrazine. Bayer previously used lindane in its products, but phased out its use as a farm pesticide in the U.S.

Bayer is one of four firms — along with Syngenta, Corteva and BASF — that have controlled the global pesticide market for years.

In the U.S., the company has attempted to shield itself from further litigation over the health hazards caused by its chemicals by advocating for federal and state-level legislation that would make it more difficult for states to regulate pesticides or for people harmed by agrochemicals to sue manufacturers.

Brenda Baletti, Ph.D., is a senior reporter for The Defender. She wrote and taught about capitalism and politics for 10 years in the writing program at Duke University. She holds a Ph.D. in human geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master's from the University of Texas at Austin.

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