Moderna sues Pfizer over COVID-19 vaccine technology

Moderna is suing rival vaccine production company Pfizer, charging it with patent infringement in developing a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus. Moderna says Pfizer copied technology developed by Moderna years before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “Moderna believes that Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty infringes patents Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016 covering Moderna’s foundational mRNA technology,” according to a statement from Moderna. The amount of monetary damages requested by Moderna has not been disclosed. Moderna and Pfizer both use mRNA technology, which uses a spike protein built on surface of the virus that leads cells to fight the virus. Both Moderna and Pfizer partner BioNTech were working on such technology in the years prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The case could take years to resolve.