The US biotech firm claims that mRNA technology that it created prior to the pandemic was stolen. The complaint was filed in both the US and Germany and asks for unspecified monetary damages. Pfizer expressed “astonishment” at the incident and vowed to “vigorously defend” itself from the charges. Pfizer/BioNTech allegedly plagiarized two significant pieces of…
The US biotech firm claims that mRNA technology that it created prior to the pandemic was stolen.
The complaint was filed in both the US and Germany and asks for unspecified monetary damages.
Pfizer expressed “astonishment” at the incident and vowed to “vigorously defend” itself from the charges.
Pfizer/BioNTech allegedly plagiarized two significant pieces of Moderna’s intellectual property, according to a statement.
One involves a “chemical change,” which according to Moderna, its scientists were the first to demonstrate in human trials in 2015. This modification ensures that the vaccine “avoids eliciting an undesired immune response.”
The second claimed violation has to do with how both vaccines target the unique spike protein on the virus’s outer surface.
“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.
What Is An MRNA Vaccine?
Moderna, a business that was only established in 2010, was a pioneer in creating the mRNA technology that was first applied commercially in the Covid vaccines.
The injections trigger an immune response using a genetic code molecule known as messenger RNA.
This prepares the body to combat the genuine virus when it comes into touch.
Early in the pandemic, Moderna declared that it would waive its patent rights in order to assist other pharmaceutical companies in creating their own vaccines, especially for low- and middle-income nations.
Rivals like Pfizer and BioNTech would have to respect its intellectual property rights in select higher-income countries, it was stated in March 2022, albeit it would not seek compensation for actions taken before to that time.
When new technology is created, patent challenges frequently arise, and both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are currently involved in additional legal battles involving their different mRNA platforms.
The ownership of important mRNA-related patents is the subject of an ongoing legal dispute between Moderna and the US National Institutes of Health.
A complaint was launched in July by the German biotech business CureVac against BioTech, alleging infringement of patents relating to the creation of certain mRNA molecules.
Pfizer issued a statement in which it stated that although it had not yet thoroughly examined Moderna’s claims, it was “surprised” considering that its vaccine was built using its own mRNA technology.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We remain confident in our intellectual property supporting the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and will vigorously defend against the allegations of the lawsuit.” (BBC)
