After a decade, at least three mRNA vaccine patents will expire in 2034. These are some examples:a patent with very broad claims covering the method of producing an mRNA vaccine, one with claims on gene sequences relevant to the production of an mRNA vaccine, and one with broad claims on the technique of delivering biological moieties into cells that are useful in the production.The brief also mentions that Moderna has additional patent applications pending with South Africa’s patent office, some of which are past due for renewal.
Colleen Hussey, a Moderna spokesperson, reportedly confirmed the company had filed for patents “related to both the COVID-19 vaccine and Moderna’s platform technology” in South Africa and elsewhere.Activists claim that Moderna has withdrawn or abandoned several equivalent patents in other countries, including Australia, Canada, China, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, and South Korea, or that the respective national patent offices have rejected them.
Although Moderna has previously stated that it will not enforce patents on its COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic, activists contend that “given that Moderna itself may decide when the ‘pandemic is ‘over,’ this is hardly a reassuring pledge and may potentially undermine the Hub’s current and future functioning and research, at the expense of all LMICs. “INCOME FROM COVID-19 VACCINE SALES IS SKYROCKETINGSince the world has been gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, Big Pharma companies have been having a good time.
Pfizer’s revenue increased by 95%, from $42,000 million to $81,000 million, and its net income increased by 140% between 2020 and 2021. Moderna, a much younger company founded in 2010, also saw a significant increase in net income in 2021 from a loss in 2020. (Figure 1).While Moderna’s net income was negative until 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic transformed him into a Big Pharma behemoth with a registered net income of USD 12,000 million in 2021.Moderna’s revenue increased by 2200 percent, from USD 803 million in 2020 to USD 18,471 million in 2021. The company has already signed Advanced Purchase Agreements (APAs) for approximately USD 19,000 million in product sales for 2022.
