Covid Vaccine ‘Windfall Profits’ Under Attack by Patent Holders

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. and CureVac NV are staking claim in court to a long history of scientific breakthroughs that led to the messenger RNA vaccine used for Covid-19.

These and other rival drug patent owners are asking federal courts for a cut of the profits Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. collected from their revolutionary shots. How these battles play out will set the tone for other patent holders feeling left out of the Covid innovation race and future health crises.

At least seven lawsuits have been launched against makers of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, Bloomberg Law data show.

“This is ...