PIUG Biotech 2023 - Plenary

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PIUG 2023 Biotechnology Conference

 M O R N I N G S P E A K E R S

Standing on the Shoulders of Warring Giants: mRNA Vaccines Patents Three Years into the Pandemic Thomas H. Ehrich, Counsel at RMMS LLP 9:00 – 9:45 am  ABSTRACT One of the few bright spots of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the speed with which mRNA vaccines were developed against it. For example, Moderna developed is mRNA-1273 vaccine within days of receiving the genetic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, and was ready for human trials within two months. Pfizer/BioNTech developed its COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, BNT162b2, with similar rapidity. Now, three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Moderna has filed patent infringement suits against Pfizer in the United States and Germany, and has itself been sued by Arbutus for alleged infringement of patents related to the nanoparticles used to convey the mRNA component to the body’s cells. This presentation will discuss technical aspects of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, including the simultaneous convergence of technologies that made them possible, as well as explaining why this convergence complicates both current lawsuits and future patent strategies.  BIOGRAPHY Thomas Ehrich is Counsel at RMMS LLP, a Chicago-based law firm that specializes in patent litigation and counseling for clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Prior to this, he worked with Cambia in Australia to develop the biological sequence analytic tools for the Lens (www.lens. org). He has a Ph.D. in molecular biology fromWashington University in St. Louis, and a law degree from Northwestern University in Chicago.