Moderna Escalating Dispute With NIH Claims Government Had No Role In Key Vaccine Patent

• Moderna has rejected claims that U.S. government scientists co-invented a critical part of its coronavirus vaccine, escalating what's become a messy dispute between the company and its longtime research partners at the National Institutes of Health.
• The biotech on Wednesday said it disagrees that NIH scientists co-created the genetic sequence used in its COVID-19 shot, a key discovery that underlies the intellectual property covering the vaccine. That sequence was chosen "by Moderna scientists using Moderna technology" and NIH scientists weren't involved until after a patent request had been filed, the company said.
• The statement comes as the year-long disagreement between the NIH and Moderna could reportedly soon be headed to court. Moderna's shot, one of the world's most lucrative COVID-19 vaccines, has mainly been bought by wealthier nations — an inequity that critics argue partial government ownership could help address.