Moderna Settles COVID Vaccine Patent Dispute With 2 Companies, Could Pay $2.25 Billion

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines sit in boxes at Borinquen Health Care Center in Miami on May 29, 2025. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesModerna Inc. will pay as much as $2.25 billion to end a protracted patent fight with Arbutus Biopharma Corp. and Genevant Sciences GmbH regarding technology deployed in its COVID-19 vaccines, according to an announcement released Tuesday by Arbutus.The settlement includes an upfront payment of $950 million from Moderna to Arbutus and Genevant in the third quarter of 2026. An additional payment of up to $1.3 billion is contingent on the outcome of Moderna’s appeal regarding a federal statute that could limit its liability for patent infringement related to government contracts.