Arbutus and its exclusive licensee, Genevant, filed three international lawsuits seeking to enforce patents protecting their innovative lipid nanoparticle ("LNP") technology against Pfizer and BioNTech 

Received approximately $178M from Moderna as Arbutus’ share of the noncontingent payment under the March 2026 Settlement Agreement resolving litigation over Moderna’s infringement of Arbutus’ LNP patents

Anticipates receipt of a dividend from Genevant in Q3 2026

Expects to return up to approximately $230M in capital to Arbutus shareholders

WARMINSTER, Pa., July 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) ("Arbutus" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on infectious disease, and its exclusive licensee, Genevant Sciences GmbH ("Genevant") (a subsidiary of Roivant Sciences Ltd. (Nasdaq: ROIV)), today announced the filing of three international lawsuits seeking to enforce patents protecting their innovative LNP technology against Pfizer Inc., BioNTech SE and certain of their affiliates (together, "Pfizer/BioNTech"). Arbutus and Genevant are seeking monetary relief, as well as injunctions against Pfizer/BioNTech’s mRNA-LNP COVID-19 vaccines and any other products that would infringe the asserted patents.

The cases are:

  • Canada: Federal Court of Canada File No. T-3200-26, seeking a permanent injunction and damages or, if Arbutus and Genevant elect, an accounting of Pfizer/BioNTech’s profits, attributable to infringement of Canadian Patent No. 2,721,333
  • Unified Patent Court ("UPC"): Case PR-UPC-CFI-0002562/2026, seeking permanent injunctions, as well as monetary damages, which can include recovery of Pfizer/BioNTech’s unfair profits from infringement of EP 4 241 767
  • UPC: Case PR-UPC-CFI-0002566/2026, seeking permanent injunctions, as well as monetary damages, which can include recovery of Pfizer/BioNTech’s unfair profits from infringement of EP 4 495 237
     

The UPC actions seek relief for: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Today’s actions expand on Arbutus and Genevant’s ongoing enforcement proceeding in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, seeking fair compensation for Pfizer/BioNTech’s infringement of five U.S. patents in the manufacture and sale of Pfizer/BioNTech’s mRNA-LNP COVID-19 vaccines.

Arbutus also announced today the receipt on July 8, 2026 of approximately $178M from Moderna, Inc. ("Moderna"), representing the Company’s share of the noncontingent payment under the settlement agreement entered into with Moderna to resolve all global patent infringement litigation with Moderna related to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines. The payment from Moderna includes reimbursement of the Company’s litigation costs in accordance with the Company’s license agreement with Genevant. Arbutus also expects to receive a dividend from Genevant’s parent in Q3 2026, related to its ownership of approximately 16% of the outstanding common equity of Genevant’s parent.

Arbutus is also announcing that it expects to return capital to shareholders commencing in Q3 2026 through repurchases of up to approximately $230M of the Company’s common shares, which repurchases may come in the form of a tender offer (including a modified "Dutch Auction" tender offer), open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, accelerated share repurchases or other means. The specific form(s) of any such transaction(s) remains subject to the approval of the Company’s board of directors. Any repurchase will not commence until after receipt of the expected dividend from Genevant’s parent in Q3 2026. No assurance can be given that any such repurchase activity will occur in Q3 2026, or at all.