Who Owns the Vaccine? A Conversation with Moderna’s Stephane Bancel and Dr. Nahid Bhadelia

November 11, 2021

(Wired) – On Tuesday the New York Times dropped a bombshell report about patents around Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine. After a four-year partnership with the US National Institutes of Health, Moderna filed for a patent on arguably the most critical component of its vaccine, and it did so including only the names of its own scientists. Much to the consternation of the NIH, all of its scientists were excluded from the patent filing, which could have major ramifications. If the government agency had been included in the filing, then theoretically the US would be able to license out the technology, which would help get it out faster and wider, including into more developing countries where vaccination rates remain low. (Read Full Article)