Moderna says it won't enforce coronavirus vaccine patents during pandemic

Moderna will not enforce patent rights related to its experimental coronavirus vaccine during the pandemic, announcing Thursday that its leadership feels 'a special obligation under the current circumstances' to address the global health crisis. The committment earned praise from an intellectual property activist who said Moderna's pledge 'should be matched by every manufacturer.' Moderna said it will allow open access to the patents for the 'pandemic period,' and is willing to out-license the same intellectual property once the pandemic is over. In doing so, the biotech joins Gilead in making its patent-protected discoveries available in the name of fighting COVID-19, although Gilead has restricted its Veklury licensing activity only to low- and middle-income countries.