On March 5, 2025, Williams & Connolly client Pfizer, Inc. secured a major victory before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) in inter partes review proceedings challenging two of Moderna’s patents covering its mRNA platform.  In August 2022, Moderna filed patent infringement litigation against Pfizer alleging that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine COMIRNATY® infringed Moderna’s patents covering its mRNA platform.  Pfizer subsequently filed petitions for inter partes review before the PTAB challenging two of Moderna’s patents asserted in the litigation.  In March 2024, the Board granted Pfizer’s petitions for review, finding that there was “compelling” evidence suggesting that the Patent Office “materially erred” in issuing the patents.  And on March 5, 2025, the PTAB handed a massive victory to Pfizer and BioNTech, invalidating the two Moderna patents at issue.  In recognition of this victory, Law360 named Williams & Connolly’s Pfizer team among its “Legal Lions of the Week.”

The Williams & Connolly team representing Pfizer includes Stanley Fisher, David Krinsky, Tom Selby, Kathryn Kayali, Ayelet Evrony, Julie Tavares, Michael Liu, Michael Mestitz, and Robert Hartsmith.