British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline has filed a lawsuit against Moderna in U.S. federal court in Delaware, accusing its American competitor of infringing on GSK’s patent rights related to messenger RNA technology used in the COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax.
The lawsuit claims that Moderna’s lipid nanoparticles, which transport mRNA into the human body, violate several GSK patents covering similar innovations, according to Reuters.
This follows a related lawsuit GSK filed against Pfizer and BioNTech in the same court in April regarding their COVID-19 vaccine. The current litigation seeks unspecified monetary damages, according to Reuters.
In response, a spokesperson for Moderna acknowledged awareness of the new lawsuit and stated that the company would vigorously defend itself against the claims.
Meanwhile, a GSK spokesperson expressed the drugmaker’s willingness to license the patents on commercially reasonable terms to ensure continued patient access to innovative therapies.
The lawsuits contribute to a complex network of U.S. court cases involving Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna over patent royalties for vaccine technologies, including a lawsuit filed by Moderna against Pfizer in 2022.
Last year, Moderna reported $6.7 billion in revenue from its COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax, while Pfizer generated $11.2 billion from its vaccine Comirnaty, developed in partnership with BioNTech.
However, sales of both vaccines saw significant declines compared to 2022.
GSK said in the new litigation that its patents cover mRNA technology pioneered in 2008 that provides “the foundation for Moderna’s mRNA vaccine portfolio.”
GSK stated that it acquired the rights to the inventions when it purchased a portion of Novartis’ vaccine business in 2015.
