CureVac Patent Suit Targets Moderna’s Spikevax Covid-19 Shots

Moderna Inc. was hit with a new lawsuit alleging the vaccine maker’s Spikevax Covid-19 shots infringe 10 CureVac SE patents covering technologies for designing and manufacturing messenger RNA vaccines.

In its complaint filed April 24 in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, Curevac alleged that multiple versions of Spikevax—including its original monovalent shot, Omicron-targeting boosters, and updated seasonal formulas—infringe its patents because they’re built on the same underlying mRNA composition, lipid nanoparticle formulation, and manufacturing processes.

The German biotech firm seeks a reasonable royalty on Moderna’s Spikevax sales, which have generated more than $47.7 billion globally and ...