CureVac, GSK to Receive $740 Million with Royalties in mRNA Patent Settlement with Pfizer and BioNTech

Germany's CureVac and Britain's GSK have reached a settlement with Pfizer and BioNTech to resolve a years-long patent dispute over mRNA vaccine technology used in COVID-19 and flu products. As part of the agreement, BioNTech will pay CureVac and GSK $740 million plus single-digit percentage royalties on U.S. sales of COVID-19 vaccines going forward. The settlement grants Pfizer and BioNTech a non-exclusive U.S. license for the relevant mRNA patents. The dispute, which began in 2022 when CureVac accused BioNTech of infringing on four patents related to mRNA molecule engineering, has now concluded ahead of a potential buyout deal involving BioNTech and CureVac. The settlement amount to GSK has been reported in various figures ranging from $320 million to over $500 million, with $370 million also cited in U.S. patent litigation settlement contexts.