Moderna Wins Patent Dispute Over COVID Vaccine in UK Court of Appeal
London, August 2, 2025 – US pharmaceutical company Moderna has achieved a significant victory in the long-running patent dispute over COVID-19 vaccines. The Court of Appeal in London on Friday rejected the appeal by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, upholding a High Court ruling from July 2024. The ruling states that Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine Comirnaty infringes a valid Moderna patent on mRNA technology. Moderna is now entitled to claim damages for sales from March 2022 onwards. The patent in question, known as EP’949, protects modifications to mRNA, specifically the replacement of uracil bases with N1-methylpseudouridine to stabilize the molecules and enhance the immune response. Mr. Justice Richard Arnold ruled that this patent is valid and is infringed by Comirnaty. However, another Moderna patent was declared invalid, and the court denied Moderna permission to appeal that decision. The dispute revolves around…





