Promosome, a New York-based company, has filed lawsuits against Moderna and Pfizer for allegedly violating patent protections related to mRNA technology. According to Promosome's filings submitted to the Southern District Court of California, both companies used Promosome’s patented method in producing their COVID-19 vaccines. The lawsuit claims that in 2009 company-affiliated scientists discovered a method for increasing protein expression by making small changes to the mRNA that could affect the amount of protein produced without altering the amino acid sequence encoded by the mRNA; this is protected by U.S. Patent No. 8,853,179 which was given exclusive license to Promosome scientists including Nobel laureate Gerald Edelman. As recompense, Promosome is seeking payment at an “amount yet to be determined” but which should be “in no event less than a reasonable royalty” from revenues earned using its technology.
The patent infringement battle over COVID-19 vaccines continues with New York-based biotech firm Promosome filing separate lawsuits against vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer over alleged violations of patents related to messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Both companies are accused of using patented methods developed by researchers affiliated with Promsome in 2009 that increase protein expression without changing amino acid sequences encoded by mRNA molecules.
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