BRIEF—BioNTech gets NIH notice of default

In a stock exchange filing yesterday, German biotech BioNTech said that, as previously disclosed, the company was in discussions with the USA’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) concerning royalties and other amounts allegedly owed on sales of the company's Pfizer partnered COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, since commercialization, and that the NIH had delivered a communication threatening to send a notice of default under its license agreement with the company.

BioNTech said that, on March 22, the company received a notice of default from the NIH relating to alleged amounts owed and breaches under such license. The actual amounts were not disclosed by the company.

As previously disclosed, the company disagrees with the positions being taken by the NIH, and intends to vigorously defend against all allegations of breach.