Viatris settles lawsuit over use of woman’s ‘immortal’ cells to power drug research

Generic drugmaker Viatris (VTRS.O), has settled a lawsuit brought by the family of Henrietta Lacks, a Maryland woman whose tissue samples were ​used without her permission to develop enduring cells for lucrative ‌medical research.

Viatris and Lacks’ estate told a federal court, opens new tab in Baltimore, Maryland, on Wednesday that they would dismiss the case with prejudice, which means it cannot be refiled.

An attorney ​for Lacks’ estate said her family was “pleased the parties were able ​to find a way to resolve this matter” and that details ⁠of the settlement were confidential. Spokespeople for Viatris did not immediately ​respond to a request for comment and more information.

Lacks’ family has filed several ​lawsuits seeking to recover profits from the unauthorized use of her cells for drug research. Her estate settled a related lawsuit against Novartis in February, resolved another case against Thermo Fisher ​in 2023 and filed a similar lawsuit against Ultragenyx that is still ongoing.

Lacks, ​a Black woman whose story was told in the best-selling book “The Immortal Life of ‌Henrietta ⁠Lacks,” sought treatment for cervical cancer in 1951 at a Baltimore hospital. She died of cancer later that year at age 31.

Doctors used a sample of her tumor without her knowledge or consent to cultivate the HeLa cell ​line. The cells ​were the first ⁠to survive and reproduce indefinitely in lab conditions, and have since been used in worldwide medical research on subjects ​ranging from the polio vaccine to HIV treatments to ​sunscreen.

The estate’s 2024 ⁠lawsuit accused Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based Viatris of misusing her cells to test its herpes drug Denavir and depression treatment Mylan-Mirtazapine. The family requested the company’s profits from ⁠commercializing ​the HeLa line and a court order ​blocking Viatris from using the cells without its permission.
Viatris did not respond to the allegations in ​court.

Source: Reuters