Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Moderna sues Pfizer and BioNTech for patent infringement over Covid vaccine

Moderna is suing Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech for patent infringement in the development of the first Covid-19 vaccine approved in the United States, alleging they copied technology that Moderna developed years before the pandemic.

The lawsuit, which seeks undetermined monetary damages, was being filed in US District Court in Massachusetts and the Regional Court of Dusseldorf in Germany, Moderna said in a news release on Friday (Aug 26).


"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 said in the statement.

Moderna, on its own, and the partnership of Pfizer and BioNTech were two of the first groups to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.

Just a decade old, Moderna, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, had been an innovator in the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology that enabled the unprecedented speed in developing the Covid-19 vaccine.

An approval process that previously took years was completed in months, thanks largely to the breakthrough in mRNA vaccines, which teach human cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response.

Germany-based BioNTech had also been working in this field when it partnered with the US pharma giant Pfizer.

The US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for the Covid-19 vaccine first to Pfizer/BioNTech in December 2020, then one week later to Moderna.

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.

Moderna alleges Pfizer/BioNTech, without permission, copied mRNA technology that Moderna had patented between 2010 and 2016, well before Covid-19 emerged in 2019 and exploded into global consciousness in early 2020.

Early in the pandemic, Moderna said it would not enforce its Covid-19 patents to help others develop their own vaccines, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. But in March 2022, Moderna said it expected companies such as Pfizer and BioNTech to respect its intellectual property rights. It said it would not seek damages for any activity before March 8, 2022.

Patent litigation is not uncommon in the early stages of new technology.

Pfizer and BioNTech are already facing multiple lawsuits from other companies who say the partnership's vaccine infringes on their patents. Pfizer/BioNTech have said they will defend their patents vigorously.

More For You

NHS pharmacy funding not enough 2025: £3.073B deal with £1.99B gap fuels reform debate.

Funding alone isn’t going to be enough to save community pharmacy

Photo credit: gettyimages

New funding contract ‘not enough’ to release the sector from financial blackhole

After almost a year without an agreement, a new funding contract for community pharmacy was finally announced yesterday (31 March).

The settlement raises the baseline annual funding for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) in 2025/26 to £3.073 billion, with an additional £215 million secured to continue Pharmacy First and other Primary Care Recovery Plan services.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pharmacy First: Government confirms £215 million boost to realise its full potential

From April 2025, the consultation fee for Pharmacy First Minor Illness and Clinical Pathways will rise from £15 to £17.

‘Pharmacy First hasn't realised its full potential,’ says Stephen Kinnock

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock has acknowledged that Pharmacy First has huge potential, noting that the service “hasn't realised its full potential.”

As part of efforts to enhance the service, Kinnock yesterday (30) announced £215 million in additional funding for Pharmacy First and other Primary Care Access Recovery Plan services.

Keep ReadingShow less
Free morning-after pill at pharmacies to end postcode lottery for patients

Pharmacy technicians will be allowed to supply of drospirenone for contraception under PGD,

gettyimages

Pharmacy contract: Free morning-after pill to be available at pharmacies soon

The UK government has announced that, for the first time ever, the ‘morning-after pill’ or emergency contraceptive pill will be available free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS, ending the postcode lottery women face in accessing the medicine and reducing inequalities.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed a record £3.073 billion funding package for community pharmacies in 2025/26, alongside an additional £215 million to sustain Pharmacy First and other Primary Care Recovery Plan services.

Keep ReadingShow less
Royal College status: The PDA calls for ‘meaningful and collaborative dialogue’

The profession’s success will depend on collaboration across all sectors, says PDA.

gettyimages

Royal College vote: Less than 7% of GB pharmacists in favour, says PDA

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has criticised the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) for moving too quickly to a ballot on its proposed transition to a Royal College, arguing that it resulted in low participation from pharmacists in Great Britain.

Announcing the results of the special resolution vote, the RPS said that the outcome was a “clear mandate” in favour of the transformative change.

Keep ReadingShow less
RPS Wales calls for urgent investment in pharmacy workforce at Senedd meeting

Third from the left: Eluned Morgan, First Minister of Wales

Photo credit: RPS

Invest in pharmacy workforce: RPS Wales urges Senedd members

Members of the Senedd (MSs) were briefed on the increasing pressures facing pharmacy teams and the urgent need for action to support their health and wellbeing at an event hosted by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Wales.

The event, held on Wednesday, brought together MSs, including first minister Eluned Morgan, to discuss the findings of RPS’ latest Workforce Wellbeing Survey.

Keep ReadingShow less