Viatris Settles Lawsuit Over Use of Maryland Woman’s Cells in Drug Research

Generic drugmaker Viatris has settled a lawsuit brought by the estate of Henrietta Lacks, a Maryland woman whose cells – known as the HeLa cell line – were taken without her permission and used for lucrative medical research. The lawsuit, dismissed with prejudice in a federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, means it cannot be refiled. Details of the settlement remain confidential. This case is part of a series of lawsuits filed by the Lacks family seeking compensation for the commercial exploitation of her cells.

Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman, received treatment for cervical cancer in 1951, and doctors subsequently cultivated her cells, creating the first human cell line to reproduce indefinitely in a lab. These HeLa cells have been instrumental in countless medical advancements, including the development of the polio vaccine and HIV treatments. The Lacks estate’s 2024 lawsuit specifically accused Viatris of misusing her cells to test its drugs Denavir and Mylan-Mirtazapine, seeking profits from the commercialization of the HeLa line and a halt to further unauthorized use.

This settlement follows similar resolutions with Novartis in February and Thermo Fisher in 2023, while a lawsuit against Ultragenyx remains ongoing. The story of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cell line gained wider recognition with the publication of the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” highlighting the ethical concerns surrounding the use of human tissue in research.

(Source：Insurance Journal)