Moderna files patent infringement lawsuits against Pfizer and BioNTech over mRNA Covid-19 vaccines

“Moderna believes that the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech infringes Moderna patents filed between 2010 and 2016 covering Moderna’s founding mRNA technology. This groundbreaking technology was essential to the development of Moderna’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, Spikevax. .Pfizer and BioNTech copied this technology, without Moderna’s permission, to make Comernity.”

A company spokesperson told CNN that Pfizer has not been provided and is “unable to comment at this time.”

Moderna said in the statement that it does not aim to remove the Pfizer vaccine from the market or prevent its vaccine from being sold in the future, nor does it seek compensation for its sale in certain circumstances.

These circumstances include the sale of vaccines in the 92 AMC countries that make up low- and middle-income countries, as well as in cases where “the US Government is liable for any damages” and for activities prior to March 8, 2022.

“In line with its commitment to equitable global access, in October 2020, Moderna pledged not to enforce patents related to COVID-19 while the pandemic continues. In March 2022, when the collective fight against COVID-19 entered a new phase and the provision of vaccines was no longer a barrier to Reaching in many parts of the world, Moderna has updated its pledge.And clarified that while it would never file its patents for any COVID-19 vaccine used in 92 low- and middle-income countries in GAVI COVAX’s Advanced Market Commitment (AMC 92), Moderna expected that it would respect Companies such as Pfizer and BioNTech own their intellectual property rights and will consider obtaining a commercially reasonable license if they request a license to other markets.Pfizer and BioNTech have failed to do so.

Moderna also outlined specific cases in which the company alleges that Pfizer infringed its patents, saying that the company has moved forward with “a vaccine that contains the same precise chemical modification of mRNA as the vaccine as Spikevax.” Moderna scientists have begun developing this chemical modification that avoids triggering the undesirable It uses the immune response when mRNA is introduced into the body in 2010 and was first validated in human trials in 2015.

Moderna also says: “Pfizer and BioNTech have copied Moderna’s method of encoding the full-length spike protein into a coronavirus lipid nanoparticle formula. Moderna scientists developed this approach when they created a vaccine for the coronavirus that causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) years before the emergence of MERS-CoV. COVID-19 for the first time.

Moderna and Pfizer’s mRNA Covid-19 vaccines have been the backbone of the US vaccination strategy, with Pfizer making up the majority of doses given.

As of Friday morning, 360,175,884 doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States and 229,236,868 doses of Moderna.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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