(Reuters) – Moderna Inc said there was a possibility it was not the first company to make breakthroughs claimed in its patent applications, including those for its experimental coronavirus vaccine, according to a recent registration certificate.
The U.S. drug developer’s statement was made in a quarter filed Aug. 6 amid mandatory disclosures of risks to its business.
Moderna’s previous quarterly announcements with U.S. regulators did not have the revelation.
“For these and other reasons, we may not be able to secure unwanted patent rights, thereby losing exclusivity,” the company said. (https://bit.ly/2PISREC)
The company has received funding from the U.S. government to develop its coronavirus vaccine, and in July lost a bid to cancel a U.S. patent owned by Arbutus Biopharma Corp that posed a potential obstacle to Moderna’s attempts to obtain vaccines for next generation to develop.
“We can not be sure that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or in consideration of patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions, including mRNA-1273 , “said the company.
(Report by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta)
