Pfizer/ BioNTech, Moderna set for 2024 trial in COVID vaccine patent dispute
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Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) is set to fight off its rivals Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) in a London high court in 2024 over a patent infringement case related to their blockbuster COVID-19 vaccines, a judge ruled on Thursday.
Sir Anthony Mann, a High Court judge for England and Wales, issued his ruling in a preliminary hearing after Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (PFE) denied allegations of patent violations related to their bestselling Comirnaty vaccine.

In 2020, Moderna (MRNA) chose not to enforce its COVID-19-related patents during the pandemic but updated the pledge in March 2021, asking rivals to respect its IP rights in markets outside low- and middle-income countries.
Several months later, Moderna (MRNA) sued Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) in the U.S. and Germany, alleging that Comirnaty violated the patents the biotech filed between 2010 and 2016 covering the mRNA technology.

Seeking Alpha contributor Derek Lowe expects the dispute to âdrag on for yearsâ unless the companies can reach a settlement.