An illustrative image of a person holding a medical syringe and a Covid-19 vaccine vial in front of the Moderna logo displayed on a screen.
On Wednesday, January 12, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna is suing Pfizer and the German drugmaker BioNTech, accusing its main competitors of copying Moderna’s technology in order to make their own vaccine.Moderna said Friday that Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine Comirnaty infringes on patents Moderna filed several years ago protecting the technology behind its preventive shot, Spikevax.
The company filed patent infringement lawsuits in both U.S. federal court and a German court.RELATED: Moderna asks FDA to approve COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 6Pfizer spokeswoman Pam Eisele said the company had not fully reviewed Moderna’s lawsuit, but the drugmaker was surprised by it, given that their vaccine is based on proprietary technology developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer.She said in an email that Pfizer Inc., based in New York, would "vigorously defend" against any allegations in the case.BioNTech did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press seeking comment.Moderna and Pfizer’s two-shot vaccines both use mRNA technology to help people fight the coronavirus."When COVID-19 emerged, neither Pfizer nor BioNTech had Moderna’s level of experience with developing mRNA vaccines for coronaviruses," the company said in a complaint filed Friday in the U.S.
District Court for the District of Massachusetts.RELATED: COVID omicron vaccine: US reaches deal with Moderna for winter booster shotsThe mRNA vaccines work by injecting a genetic code for the spike protein that coats the surface of the coronavirus..