Arbutus, Sanofi escalate mRNA patent fights; InnoCare’s TYK2 contender advances

An article from News roundup Arbutus, Sanofi escalate mRNA patent fights; InnoCare’s TYK2 contender advances The new lawsuits add to a web of legal disputes over technology involved in COVID vaccines. Elsewhere, Insmed strengthened support for a closely watched blood pressure drug. Published July 17, 2026 By BioPharma Dive staff Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Add us on Google Today, a brief rundown of news involving Arbutus BioPharma and Sanofi, as well as updates from Insmed, InnoCare Pharma and Chai Discovery that you may have missed. Arbutus BioPharma filed three new lawsuits against Pfizer and BioNTech, ratcheting up longstanding legal efforts that aim to prove the companies’ COVID vaccine infringed on Arbutus patents. In an ongoing suit in the U.S., Arbutus has argued that Pfizer and BioNTech violated patents in using a kind of lipid nanoparticle technology to help deliver their vaccines into cells. The new legal actions broaden that fight into an array of European countries as well as Canada. Arbutus made similar claims against Moderna, leading to a multibillion-dollar settlement earlier this year. It recently received a $178 million payment from Moderna as part of that deal. — Ben Fidler Sanofi separately initiated two other lawsuits against Pfizer and Moderna in New Jersey. Like Arbutus, Sanofi alleged in court filings that Pfizer’s COVID shots, and multiple mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna, ran afoul of patents covering lipid nanoparticles. Sanofi inherited some of those patents when it acquired mRNA vaccine developer Translate Bio in 2021. Sanofi is seeking a trial, damages and other financial relief. — Ben Fidler InnoCare Pharma revealed this week that its experimental autoimmune drug soficitinib succeeded in two separate clinical trials. On Wednesday, the company said the therapy — one of many next-generation “TYK2 inhibitors” — met the main goal of a late-stage study in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. A day later, InnoCare disclosed that soficitinib succeeded in a Phase 2 trial in people with the skin condition vitiligo. Drugs like soficitinib have garnered significant attention from drugmakers in recent years, as they could become oral alternatives to widely used injectables for many autoimmune conditions. — Delilah Alvarado Insmed said Thursday its experimental treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension continued to help Phase 2 trial enrollees in an “open-label” extension of a study that read out more than a year ago. Enrollees who’d received treprostinil palmitil inhalation powder, or “TPIP” in the 16-week, placebo-controlled phase of the trial were able to walk 56 meters further on a six-minute test after a year of treatment than they were at the study’s start. Those who received the placebo during that initial period and then TPIP afterwards improved by 54 meters. In a note to clients, Leerink Research analyst Joseph Schwartz wrote that the “totality of the data” continues to suggest the drug is a “potentially differentiated” treatment for PAH. Insmed has begun a Phase 3 trial that will evaluate TPIP’s benefits over 24 weeks. — Jonathan Gardner Argenx has partnered with Chai Discovery in a bid to find new antibody drugs. The two companies didn’t reveal the specific financial terms underlying the agreement, but through it, Argenx will gain access to Chai’s AI technology to discover antibodies “across therapeutic targets,” Chai said Wednesday. The partnership adds to an upswing in AI investments among biopharmaceutical companies, as well as a streak of recent announcements for Chai. Earlier this week, Chai unveiled a collaboration with Novartis and announced the closing of a $400 million Series C round. — Delilah Alvarado Add us on Google Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Filed Under: Biotech