BioNTech to pay $1.2 B in COVID-19 vaccine settlements in US

Sharjah 24 – WAM: German pharmaceutical company BioNTech announced on Friday that it has reached a settlement with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Pennsylvania to resolve a royalties dispute.

Settlement amount and allocation

BioNTech will pay a total of $1.2 billion (approximately €1.3 billion) to the NIH and the University of Pennsylvania. The NIH will receive around $759 million, while the university will be allocated up to $448 million. The NIH and the university are collaborative partners in this case.

Details of the dispute

The dispute centers on patent applications related to BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, which was developed in partnership with Pfizer. BioNTech stated that the issue with the university was regarding "non-exclusive rights" to the vaccine's patent applications. The disagreement with the NIH involved licensing fees and related payments.

BioNTech's position on liability

BioNTech stressed that the settlement does not constitute an admission of liability regarding the claims made by the NIH and the University of Pennsylvania.