Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have asked the Court of Appeal in London to overturn a ruling that found their COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, infringed one of Moderna's patents related to mRNA technology. Pfizer and BioNTech are challenging the validity of the remaining patent, arguing that Moderna's mRNA developments were obvious extensions of previous scientific work and therefore not patentable. Moderna, however, maintains the ruling should stand.
This UK dispute is part of a broader legal battle among the three companies over COVID-19 vaccine technologies. Pfizer and BioNTech had originally filed the lawsuit in London in September 2022, seeking to revoke Moderna’s patents, to which Moderna responded with infringement claims. According to company reports, Pfizer and BioNTech earned over $ 3.3 billion from Comirnaty sales in 2023, while Moderna generated $ 3.2 billion from its vaccine, Spikevax. Vaccine sales have dropped since the end of the pandemic. Legal proceedings are ongoing in other jurisdictions as well, including Germany and the United States, where rulings have varied.
