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The family of Henrietta Lacks has filed a federal lawsuit in Maryland against Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) and Viatris Inc (NASDAQ:VTRS), alleging the companies profited unlawfully from the use of her tissue cells, known as “HeLa” cells.
The Lacks estate claims these cells, which were taken without her knowledge in the 1950s, have been crucial to the companies’ drug developments without any compensation or permission granted to her estate.
Ben Crump, the Lacks family attorney, emphasized the historical exploitation of Black individuals in medical research, highlighting Lacks’ story as a stark example.
The lawsuit follows previous actions against Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (NYSE:TMO), which has since been settled, and ongoing litigation against Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc (NASDAQ:RARE).
Related: Ultragenyx Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Unjust Use of Henrietta Lacks’ Cells.
Henrietta Lacks’s cells were taken from her cervix during cancer treatment in 1951 at a Baltimore hospital.
Reuters noted that these HeLa cells were the first to survive and reproduce indefinitely in lab conditions. Lacks passed away from cervical cancer later that year at the age of 31.
The complaint details how Novartis allegedly used HeLa cells in the development of its herpes drug Famvir, cancer treatment Kymriah, and spinal muscular atrophy therapy Zolgensma.
Viatris is accused of using these cells to test its herpes drug, Denavir, and depression treatment, Mylan-Mirtazapine.
The Lacks family seeks profits from the commercialization of HeLa cells and a court order to prevent further use without permission.
Price Action: At the last check on Tuesday, NVS stock was up 0.36% at $110.25, and VTRS stock was down 0.30% at $11.53.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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