Biotech firms allege Moderna hijacked technology to develop COVID-19 vaccine
Two biotech companies filed a lawsuit against Moderna on Monday, alleging that the vaccine manufacturer had infringed on patented technology when it developed its COVID-19 vaccine.
Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences allege in their civil lawsuit that Moderna was able to quickly develop a coronavirus vaccine thanks to "breakthrough technology Arbutus had already created and patented," namely the lipid nanoparticle delivery system that is used in the shot.
Genevant is spearheaded by former Arbutus scientists. The Switzerland-based company licenses lipid nanoparticle platform intellectual property from Arbutus.
"Moderna was well aware of Arbutus’s LNP patents and licensed them for other product programs, but it chose not to do so for its COVID-19 vaccine. Instead, it attempted to invalidate several of the patents before the United States Patent 2 and Trademark Office, and when those efforts largely failed, Moderna simply used the patented technology without paying for it or even asking for a license," the complaint read.
The companies are accusing Moderna of seven counts of patent infringement. The Hill has reached out to Moderna for comment.
Arbutus and Genevant are asking for financial compensation from Moderna for the alleged use of their patents.
In a statement, Arbutus President and CEO William Collier said his company and Genevant "do not seek an injunction or otherwise seek to impede the sale, manufacture or distribution of MRNA-1273."
"However, we seek fair compensation for Moderna’s use of our patented technology that was developed with great effort and at great expense, without which Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine would not have been successful," he added.
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