(Reuters) -Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Thursday it has filed separate lawsuits in the Delaware federal court against Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc, seeking damages for infringement of a patent in the manufacture and sale of their mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
Alnylam said it was seeking compensation for use of its lipid nanoparticles (LNP) technology that carries and delivers RNA-based therapeutics or vaccines in the body.
Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines infringe Alnylam’s patent through the use of a lipid formulated into LNPs that protect and deliver the vaccines’ mRNA, the pharmaceutical firm said.
Arbutus Biopharma Corp sued Moderna in the Delaware federal court last month, claiming Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine infringes its patents.
Alnylam said it does not intend to take action that impedes the production, sale or distribution of the vaccines.
(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
