The University of Pennsylvania submitted a federal civil lawsuit against BioNTech, alleging that the German drugmaker did not pay Penn its full share of royalties from COVID-19 vaccine worldwide sales, writes Abraham Gutman for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The vaccine was made by BioNTech and Pfizer using mRNA technology developed by Penn researchers Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman. The pair were the first to find a way to use the body’s own genetic code to make new therapeutics. The two scientists were recognized with the Nobel Prize for their work.

Penn claims that BioNTech agreed to pay royalties on global sales of the vaccine, but has instead only paid for sales in countries where the university has patents for the mRNA technology. Additionally, Penn contends that the German company paid a lower royalty rate than the university is entitled to.

BioNTech said the company has been in discussions regarding royalties with Penn for more than a year.

“We disagree with the positions being taken by the University of Pennsylvania, and intend to vigorously defend ourselves against their allegations,” said a BioNTech spokesperson.

According to a spokesperson, “Penn is seeking full royalty payments under patent licensing that enabled BioNTech to develop its marketed COVID vaccine.”

Read more about the University of Pennsylvania and BioNTech legal dispute in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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