Moderna on Friday filed patent infringement lawsuits against Pfizer and BioNTech “for infringing patents central to (its) mRNA technology platform.” Moderna company says that Pfizer and BioNTech copied the technology without permission. „Moderna scientists developed this approach when they created a vaccine for the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) years before COVID-19 first emerged.” The lawsuit, which seeks undetermined monetary damages, was filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. “We are filing these lawsuits to protect the innovative mRNA technology platform that we pioneered, invested billions of dollars in creating, and patented during the decade preceding the COVID-19 pandemic,” Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel declared in the news release.
However, the company sustains its lawsuit was not meant to stop people from getting vaccines. A Pfizer spokesperson affirmed: “Pfizer/BioNTech has not yet fully reviewed the complaint but we are surprised by the litigation given the COVID-19 vaccine was based on BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA technology and developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer.” Moderna’s COVID vaccine – its lone commercial product – has brought in $10.4 billion in revenue this year while Pfizer’s vaccine brought in about $22 billion. To clarify Moderna’s complaint the lawsuit will likely take years from now. Patent litigation is not uncommon in the scientific area.
