3. Arbutus sued to avoid patent dispute over Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 shot

Mar. 18, 2022

• Acuitas Therapeutics, a Canadian private biotechnology company whose technology has been used in Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) COVID-19 shot, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. against Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS +1.3%) seeking to head off claims that the vaccine violates Arbutus’ patents.
  
  
• According to Reuters, Vancouver-based Acuitas had asked the Manhattan federal court to find that certain Arbutus patents are not valid and Pfizer (PFE)/BioNTech (BNTX) vaccine does not infringe Arbutus patents.
  
  
• Last month, Arbutus (ABUS) and Genevant Sciences filed a lawsuit against Moderna (MRNA), seeking damages for violation of certain U.S. patents related to the company’s blockbuster COVID-19 shot, MRNA-1273.
• Acuitas said that Arbutus and partner Genevant had threatened to sue for billions of dollars in "unjustified royalties" related to the Pfizer (PFE)/BioNTech (BNTX) vaccine.
  
  
• Arbutus was not immediately available for comments on Acuitas’s claims.
  
  
• Read: In December, a federal court rejected an appeal filed by Moderna (MRNA) to invalidate a ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that asserted the patent claims of Arbutus.