Monsanto the disposition of product lines unrelated to agriculture. In 1985, Monsanto acquired G. D. Searle & Company, a life sciences company that focused on pharmaceuticals, agriculture and animal health. In 1993, its Searle division filed a patent application for Celebrex, which in 1998 became the first selective COX‑2 inhibitor to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Celebrex became a blockbuster drug and was often mentioned as a key reason for Pfizer's acquisition of Monsanto's pharmaceutical business in 2002. In 1994, Monsanto introduced a recombinant version of bovine somatotropin, brand-named Posilac. Monsanto later sold this business to
Monsanto legal cases Superior Court, against Monsanto alleging damages related to certain forms of cancer caused by Monsanto's Roundup product. On August 10, 2018, Dewayne Johnson won the first jury case against Monsanto based on a causal link between Roundup and Johnson's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The jury awarded Johnson $289 million in actual and punitive damages against Monsanto, and found that Monsanto acted maliciously by failing to warn consumers of cancer risks posed by the herbicide. Monsanto plans to appeal the verdict based on its claim that the judge improperly admitted scientific evidence presented on behalf of Johnson. Arkansas and Missouri banned the sale