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CureVac files lawsuit against BioNTech over patent infringement 

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CureVacThe mRNA-focused biopharma CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq:CVAC) has filed a lawsuit in the German Regional Court in Düsseldorf against BioNTech SE (Nasdaq:BNTX) demanding compensation for infringement of CureVac’s patents.

In particular, the lawsuit claims that the four German patents, EP 1 857 122 B1, DE 20 2015 009 961 U1, DE 20 2021 003 575 U1 and DE 20 2015 009 974 U1, were used in the manufacture of the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE).

Investors reacted by sending CVAC shares down 1.05% to $14.09. Meanwhile, BNTX shares were up 2.24% to $161.03.

CureVac is not aiming to block the production or distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Over the past year, CureVac has seen its stock valuation plummet after failing to commercialize its first-generation mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

In June 2021, the company announced that the interim efficacy of the vaccine candidate was 47% in a Phase 2b/3 study.

CureVac is currently partnering with GSK to develop next-generation COVID-19 and flu vaccines, both of which are now in Phase 1 trials.

In a statement, BioNTech stated that it plans to “vigorously defend” its intellectual property rights against patent infringement allegations. The company added that it is “aware that it is not unusual that other companies in the pharmaceutical industry, having witnessed the success of Comirnaty, are now suggesting that the vaccine potentially infringes their intellectual property rights.”

In 2021, the Comirnaty vaccine brought in $59 billion in cumulative revenue for BioNTech and Pfizer together.

Filed Under: Infectious Disease
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About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

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