Aug 5 (Reuters) - Novartis and Viatris ( VTRS )

were hit with a federal lawsuit in Maryland on Monday by the

family of a woman whose tissue cells were taken from her body in

the 1950s and used to fuel medical research and development.

The estate of Henrietta Lacks accused Novartis and Viatris ( VTRS )

of unlawfully profiting from the use of the "HeLa" cells to

create drugs that have been "integral to their market presence"

without paying or gaining permission from her estate.

Spokespeople for Novartis and Viatris ( VTRS ) did not immediately

respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

"Medical research has a long, troubled history of exploiting

Black individuals, and Henrietta Lacks' story is a stark

reminder of this legacy," Lacks family attorney Ben Crump said

in a statement.

The new complaint follows similar lawsuits filed by the

Lacks family against Thermo Fisher, which has since been

settled, and Ultragenyx, which is still ongoing.

The HeLa cells were cut from Lacks' cervix without her

knowledge during a cancer-treatment procedure at a Baltimore

hospital in 1951. The cell line was the first to survive and

reproduce indefinitely in lab conditions and has been used in a

wide range of medical research worldwide.

Lacks died of cervical cancer later in 1951 at age 31.

The new lawsuit said Switzerland-based Novartis used the

HeLa cells in developing its herpes drug Famvir, cancer

treatment Kymriah and spinal muscular atrophy therapy Zolgensma.

It accused Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based Viatris ( VTRS ) of misusing

the cells to test its herpes drug Denavir and depression

treatment Mylan-Mirtazapine.

Lacks' cells were "exploited for research purposes and

profited from by powerful organizations against her and her

family's will," the lawsuit said.

The family requested the companies' profits from

commercializing the HeLa cells and a court order blocking them

from using the cell line without its permission.