Moderna, Inc. is suing Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech for patent infringement, alleging that the vaccine manufacturers copied technology that Moderna developed years before the pandemic to produce their first COVID-19 vaccine.
The company is seeking an unspecified compensation in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts and in another court in Germany, but Moderna noted that it is not requesting Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine to be taken off the market.
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“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 CEO Stephane Bancel in a company statement.
Massachusetts-based Moderna alleges that the companies copied their mRNA technology, which they first began developing in 2010 and used in human trials in 2015, in the production of their first COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna, Pfizer, and BioNTech were the first companies to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in 2020 and have made billions of dollars from vaccine sales.
The lawsuit sets up what is likely to be a lengthy legal battle that could play out over the next few years. Pfizer and BioNTech are facing other lawsuits from companies who allege that the partnership infringed on their patent.
Last month, German company CureVac filed a lawsuit against BioNTech. BioNTech has denied any wrongdoing and said that its work is original.
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Moderna is also facing similar complaints and is involved in litigation with the U.S. National Institutes of Health over its mRNA technology.
The Washington Examiner has asked Pfizer for comment.
