PATENTLY ABSURD
AFTER all the laurels and accolades for developing a new-generation vaccine against COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic, the two competing companies that developed the mRNA jabs are facing off in a critical patent dispute. The outcome of the big-ticket litigation will determine how accessible the mRNA technology will be in developing future vaccines and therapies against a host of health hazards, ranging from influenza to cancer.
It took the industry by surprise when after a year of doing business peaceably and earning billions of dollars each, Moderna filed a patent infringement suit against its rival, PfizerBioNTech on August 26. BioNTech and Moderna had both developed their COVID-19 vaccines using the mRNA platform to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While BioNTech, a biotechnology startup in Germany, tied up with multinational Pfizer for quick development of the Comirnaty vaccine, Moderna chose to go it alone to make its Spikevax vaccine.
Now, Moderna claims Pfizer-BioNTech has infringed three patents on its vaccine delivery system, which gets the drug inside a recipient's cells and generates a protein. In lawsuits filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf, where BioNTech is based, Moderna says that Comirnaty infringes patents it had filed between 2010 and 2016 covering the company's "foundational mRNA technology". It accuses its competitor of copying "this groundbreaking technology" which was critical to the development of its own Spikevax.
Esta historia es de la edición September 16, 2022 de Down To Earth.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 16, 2022 de Down To Earth.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
