Moderna in dispute with US govt over COVID-19 vaccine inventors

Moderna is facing accusations from the  US National Institute of Health that it failed to give due recognition to three scientists as inventors on its COVID-19 vaccine application.

The dispute, first reported by  The New York Times on Tuesday, November 9, has been ongoing since the pharmaceutical company filed its application at the US Trademark and Patent Office.

According to the NIH, a trio of scientists: John Mascola, Barney Graham and Kizzmekia Corbett were instrumental in designing the genetic sequence used in the vaccine and should be named as inventors.

In its filing Moderna conceded that the NIH scientists were “collaborators” but insisted that it  had reached a “good-faith determination” that they did not co-invent the vaccine.

But NIH Director Francis Collins reportedly told  Reuters that NIH scientists played "a major role" in developing Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine and the agency will pursue its claim as co-owner of the patents.

“I think Moderna has made a serious mistake here in not providing the kind of co-inventorship credit to people who played a major role in the development of the vaccine that they're now making a fair amount of money off of,” he added.

In a statement released to  The New York Times, a Moderna spokesperson disputed the NIH’s claims.

She said that while the company had “all along recognised the substantial role that the NIH has played in developing Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine,” the company was legally compelled to exclude the scientists, because only Moderna’s scientists actually designed the vaccine.