11:27 AM EDT, 04/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- GSK (GSK) filed a lawsuit against Pfizer ( PFE ) and BioNTech (BNTX) in a Delaware federal court on Thursday, alleging patent infringement related to the messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology used in the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccines.

GSK said in the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for The District of Delaware that the Comirnaty vaccines infringe one or more patents issued to GSK's GSK Biologicals unit for the mRNA technology, which was developed "more than a decade before" the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Pfizer ( PFE ) spokesperson told Reuters in a statement that the company was "confident in our IP position around Comirnaty" and plans to "vigorously defend" against the claims filed by GSK.

GSK, Pfizer ( PFE ) and BioNTech did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' requests for comment.

Shares of GSK were up nearly 0.2% in recent Thursday trading, while Pfizer ( PFE ) and BioNTech's shares were down 2.6% and 1.8%, respectively.

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