Moderna wins appeals court ruling in Arbutus COVID vaccine patent dispute
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On Tuesday, a U.S. appeals court sided with Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) in a years-long patent dispute between the biotech and Arbutus (NASDAQ:ABUS) over messenger-RNA-based COVID vaccine technology.
A three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a 2019 ruling by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The dispute dates back to 2018 when Moderna (MRNA) petitioned to invalidate patent 9,404,127, a component of Arbutusâ (ABUS) IP portfolio covering the lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology.
In 2019, PTAB invalidated all claims related to the â127 Patent, a decision the appeals court upheld on Tuesday, noting that the board rightfully made its decision based on an earlier Arbutusâ (ABUS) Patent that disclosed the same invention.

The ruling will not impact an ongoing lawsuit Arbutus (ABUS) and Genevant Sciences, a venture between the company and Roivant Sciences (ROIV) filed against Moderna (MRNA) last year over several patents related to the production and sale of the biotech's COVID shot.