Moderna Inc. said it wouldn’t enforce patents related to its experimental Covid-19 vaccine while the pandemic continues and is willing to license the patents to others after the pandemic. The Cambridge, Mass., company has at least seven U.S. patents related to its vaccine, including one for the invention of a vaccine using a gene-based technology to protect against a family of coronaviruses. The move means other drugmakers or governments wouldn’t need to fear that Moderna would try to block any other Covid-19 vaccines the company argues are based on any proprietary technology. “We’re quite studiously not asserting infringement,” Moderna President Stephen Hoge said in an interview. We’re not interested in using that IP to decrease the number of vaccines available in a pandemic.”Dr. Hoge said Moderna decided to publicly commit to not enforcing its patent rights during the pandemic because company had been getting questions from investors about its patents.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 08, 2020 11:03 UTC