COVID-19 vaccine producer Moderna is suing Pfizer, along with the German drug maker BioNTech, reports UNB/AP.
Moderna is accusing its main competitors of copying their technology with a view to make their own vaccine.
Moderna said on Friday that Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine Comirnaty infringes on patents Moderna filed several years ago protecting the technology behind its preventive shot, Spikevax. The company filed patent infringement lawsuits in both U.S. federal court and a German court.
Pfizer spokeswoman Pam Eisele said the company had not fully reviewed Moderna’s lawsuit, but the drug maker was surprised by it, given that their vaccine is based on proprietary technology developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer.
She said in an email that the company would “vigorously defend” against any allegations in the case.
However, BioNTech did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Moderna and Pfizer’s two-shot vaccines both use mRNA technology to help patients fight the coronavirus.
The mRNA vaccines work by injecting a genetic code for the spike protein that coats the surface of the coronavirus. That code, the mRNA, is encased in a little ball of fat, and instructs the body’s cells to make some harmless spike copies that train the immune system to recognize the real virus.
That approach is radically different than how vaccines have traditionally been made.
The company said it believes its rivals’ vaccine infringes on patents Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016.
It said it still would not enforce its patients for vaccines used in low- and middle-income countries. But it expected companies like Pfizer and BioNTech to respect its intellectual property, and it would consider “a commercially reasonable license” in other markets if they requested one.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
