Pfizer, BioNTech countersue Moderna over COVID-19 vaccine patent
Will this result in 'patent war' among pharmaceutical companies?
Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE fired back at Moderna Inc with counterclaims in a patent lawsuit in Boston federal court on Monday over their rival COVID-19 vaccines, seeking dismissal of the lawsuit and an order that Moderna's patents are invalid and not infringed.
Moderna first sued Pfizer in August, accusing the company of violating its rights in three patents related to innovations that Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna said it pioneered before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moderna has also filed a related lawsuit against Pfizer and BioNTech in Germany.
All three companies are also embroiled in US patent disputes with other companies over the vaccines.
The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Monday filing.
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine made over $26.4 billion for the New York-based company in the first nine months of 2022, while Moderna sold over $13.5 billion worth of its COVID vaccine over the same period, according to company filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.