Moderna sues Pfizer for Covid patent infringement

Moderna is suing Pfizer and BioNTech for patent infringement over the Covid-19 vaccine. 

The company alleges that Pfizer copied the technology they developed years before the pandemic. “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,” said Moderna’s Chief Executive Stephane Bancel.

At the onset of the pandemic, Moderna said they would not enforce their Covid-19 patents in order to help others develop their own vaccines. Now, they are backtracking on that stance by bringing legal action against Pfizer and their German partner BioNTech.

In response to the legal action, Pfizer and BioNTech say they are “surprised by the litigation given the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine was based on BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA technology and developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer.”

Patent litigation is not uncommon in the healthcare or tech arena. In fact, Moderna has also been sued for patent infringement in the US.