March 3 (Reuters) – Moderna has agreed to pay Genevant Sciences, a subsidiary of Roivant Sciences, and Arbutus Biopharma up to $2.25 billion to settle a long-running legal fight over the technology that made its COVID-19 vaccine possible, the companies said on Tuesday. Under the deal, Moderna will pay $950 million upfront in July 2026, with an additional $1.3 billion that depends on the outcome of a separate legal appeal. In extended trading, Moderna’s shares jumped more than 10%, Arbutus rose 11%, while Roivant was up about 1%. The deal resolves all U.S. and international legal actions accusing Moderna of using lipid nanoparticle, or LNP, a delivery technology owned by Genevant and Arbutus, without permission in its COVID‑19 shot, Spikevax. LNP technology acts as a tiny protective shell that helps fragile mRNA molecules reach human cells intact, a key component that allows mRNA vaccines to work. (Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
