Sanofi sues Pfizer, Moderna over COVID shot technology
SNY•Other patent fights over COVID vaccine revenue
Companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals have also filed patent lawsuits seeking shares of Pfizer and Moderna's tens of billions of dollars of revenue from COVID-19 vaccine sales.
Moderna sued Pfizer for patent infringement in 2022, in a case that is still ongoing. Pfizer's partner BioNTech countersued Moderna in February, arguing Moderna's next-generation COVID-19 shot, mNEXSPIKE, infringes one of its patents.
The cases are Translate Bio Inc v. Moderna Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, No. 2:26-cv-08690 and Translate Bio Inc v. Pfizer Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, No. 2:26-cv-08697.
Sanofi seeks compensation, not to block vaccine sales
Spokespeople for Pfizer and Moderna did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sanofi's new lawsuits on Wednesday. A Sanofi spokesperson said on Wednesday that the company is "seeking fair compensation for use of its patented technology" and not seeking to block sales of the vaccines.
Pfizer and Moderna's shots use molecules called lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to transport mRNA into the body. Sanofi said in its complaints that their LNP technology infringes patents covering LNP technology developed by its mRNA-focused subsidiary Translate Bio.
Sanofi acquired Massachusetts-based Translate for $3.2 billion in 2021 to bolster its mRNA capabilities.
Sanofi files patent lawsuits over mRNA vaccine technology
July 15 (Reuters) - Sanofi SASY.PA has sued Pfizer PFE.N and Moderna MRNA.O, alleging that their COVID-19 vaccines infringe several of the French pharmaceutical company's patents.
