Pfizer Accused of RSV Vaccine Patent Infringement; GSK Files Lawsuit

Pfizer is accused of RSV vaccine patent infringement. This allegation was made by British drugmaker GSK (GlaxoSmithKline), which filed a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical giant.

Pfizer Accused of RSV Vaccine Patent Infringement

(Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images) A Pfizer sign hangs on the outside of their headquarters after a news conference discussing the planned merger of Pfizer and Wyeth on January 26, 2009, in New York City. Pfizer plans to acquire Wyeth for $68 billion creating the world's largest biopharmaceutical company.

According to Forbes' latest report, GSK sued the American drug manufacturer in a Delaware court on Wednesday, Aug. 2.

The British biotechnology firm claims that Pfizer infringed its patent when the American pharmaceutical giant made its RSV vaccine.

The legal action was made as Pfizer and GSK race to tap into the RSV vaccine market, which analysts claim will exceed $10 billion by 2030.

Vaccines are both of the drugmakers' tactics to replace aging drugs, which could face cheaper generic competition, as reported by Reuters.

A GSK official said that protecting its intellectual properties is the foundation of research-based companies to drive innovation.

The spokesperson added that the lawsuit should not affect the company in any way when launching its Arexvy vaccine.

In its official lawsuit, GSK explained that Pfizer started working on its RSV vaccine program in 2013.

The British drug manufacturer added that this is seven years after GSK started working on its own RSV vaccine project.

Pfizer Defends Itself

(Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images) This file picture taken on July 29, 2013, shows a general view of the headquarters of the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline in west London. Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis and British group GlaxoSmithKline announced a major shake-up of their healthcare divisions on April 22, 2014, in deals worth billions of dollars.

GSK's lawsuit said that Pfizer is aware that the company patented its vaccine technology since at least 2019, which is the period when it started challenging the validity of patents' European versions.

But, Pfizer said that it is confident in its intellectual property position. The New York-based pharmaceutical giant confidently said that it can defend its right to bring Abryso to its consumers.

The lawsuit is a big deal for GSK and Pfizer since the demand for RSV vaccines could increase in the following years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 6,000 to 10,000 65-year-old and older individuals die because of RSV infection per year in the United States.

CDC added that between 60,000 to 160,000 older Americans are hospitalized because of the virus. This just shows that RSV vaccines are really important in the United States.

As of writing, it is unclear how the lawsuit will impact the RSV vaccine programs of Pfizer and GSK. If you want to learn more about the latest issue between these two pharmaceutical giants, you can click this link.