University of Michigan Suit Targets AstraZeneca FluMist Profits

The University of Michigan accused AstraZeneca Plc subsidiaries and MedImmune units of unlawfully keeping and exploiting strains of flu virus the university developed to make the FluMist nasal-spray vaccine after a licensing deal expired, seeking more than $50 million in damages in a federal lawsuit.

AstraZeneca took and misused Michigan’s property, interfered with its rights to control that property, profited unfairly from the university’s work, and broke their contract over the “Master Strains” that underpin FluMist, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The pharmaceutical company paid royalties on billions ...