Moderna agrees to pay up to $2.25 billion to settle COVID vaccine patent dispute

March 3 (Reuters) – Moderna has agreed to pay up to $2.25 billion to Genevrent Sciences, a subsidiary of Roivant Sciences, and Arbutus ‌Biopharma to settle a long-running legal battle over technology that makes its COVID-19 vaccine possible, the companies said on Tuesday.

Under the agreement, ‌Moderna will pay $950 million upfront in July 2026, plus an additional payment of $1.3 billion depending on the outcome of a separate legal challenge.

Shares of Moderna were up more than 10% in extended trading, Arbutus was up 11%, while Roivant was up about 1%.

The settlement resolves all U.S. and international legal cases accusing Moderna of using lipid nanoparticle, or LNP, a delivery technology owned by Genevant and Arbutus, without permission in its COVID‑19 vaccine, Spikevax.

LNP technology acts as a small protective shell that helps sensitive mRNA molecules reach human cells intact; This is a key component that allows mRNA vaccines to work.

(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)