Matt Gline

Stories

Moderna's battle over the delivery technology in its COVID vaccine

Pursuing Pfizer/BioNTech litigation next

For four years, Moderna faced questions about whether it owed billions for technology at the heart of its COVID-19 vaccine. Less than a week before a jury trial in Delaware, Moderna agreed to pay $2.25 billion to settle patent claims from Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences. The court found it infringed four valid patents, and if paid in full, it would be the largest disclosed patent settlement in pharmaceutical history, surpassing a $2.15 billion Pfizer-Takeda settlement in 2013.

Updated May 30

Notable Quotes

"This outcome speaks to the fundamental role that Genevant's foundational LNP technology played in enabling the world's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to pursue our ongoing litigation against Pfizer/BioNTech, whose Comirnaty sales represent ~2/3 of global COVID vaccine sales, this resolution with Moderna reduces uncertainty, validates our IP estate and provides near term significant cash inflow." — Statement on March 3, 2026

from Moderna's battle over the delivery technology in its COVID vaccine · Updated May 30