Moderna Pledges to Share COVID-19 Patents for Other Vaccines During Pandemic

In a move to show it’s a good corporate citizen during the pandemic, Moderna has vowed not to wield its COVID-19 related patents against other coronavirus vaccine manufacturers as the crisis continues.

The company said Thursday that it will not enforce its patents for COVID-19 technology against other vaccine developers during the course of the pandemic, explaining that it feels a “special obligation … to use our resources to bring this pandemic to an end as quickly as possible.”

Moderna reasoned that other COVID-19 vaccines in development could benefit from its patented technologies — such as its advancement of mRNA/liquid nanoparticle technology used to make vaccines.

“Moderna is proud that its mRNA technology is poised to be used to help end the current pandemic,” the drugmaker said.

The company also said it’s open to licensing its vaccine technology to others developing COVID-19 vaccines once the crisis is over.

The American biotech’s mRNA-1273 is seen as one of the leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates and has been in late-stage trials since late July. Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel recently disclosed that the company likely won’t file for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) until at least Nov. 25, and that the vaccine would not see widespread availability until Spring 2021 (DID, Oct. 2).

The World Health Organization (WHO) and others have repeatedly called for companies to voluntarily share their patent rights and product data, citing concerns that exclusive licensing could inflate prices for COVID-19 countermeasures that would make them unattainable in poorer nations (DID, May 29). — James Miessler