British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) initiated a lawsuit against Moderna in a Delaware federal court. GSK alleges Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, infringes on its patented messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.
The lawsuit claims Moderna’s use of lipid nanoparticles, which deliver the fragile mRNA into the human body, violates several of GSK’s patents related to similar technologies. In April, GSK sued Pfizer and BioNTech in the same court concerning their COVID-19 vaccine.
GSK is seeking unspecified monetary damages through this new legal action. Responding to the lawsuit, a Moderna spokesperson stated the company intends to defend against these claims vigorously. A GSK representative mentioned that the firm is open to licensing its technologies under reasonable commercial terms to maintain patient access.
These lawsuits are part of a broader pattern of legal challenges in the US involving Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna over patent royalties linked to their vaccine technologies. Notably, Moderna filed a lawsuit against Pfizer in 2022.
GSK asserts that its patents, acquired through its purchase of part of Novartis’ vaccine business in 2015, encompass mRNA technologies developed in 2008, which are fundamental to Moderna’s vaccine portfolio.
