Connect with us

Pennsylvania

BioNTech settles with U.S. agency, University of Pennsylvania over Covid vaccine royalties

Published

on

BioNTech settles with U.S. agency, University of Pennsylvania over Covid vaccine royalties


Vials containing the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are displayed before being used at a mobile vaccine clinic, in Valparaiso, Chile, January 3, 2022.

Rodrigo Garrido | Reuters

BioNTech has entered into two separate settlement agreements with the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the University of Pennsylvania over the payment of royalties related to its COVID-19 vaccine, the company said in filings.

Advertisement

The German company, which partners with U.S. drugmaker Pfizer for its COVID-19 vaccine, said on Friday it would pay $791.5 million to the U.S. agency to resolve a default notice.

Separately, the company will pay $467 million to the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), which has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit brought against the vaccine maker accusing it of underpaying royalties.

BioNTech said partner Pfizer will reimburse it for up to $170 million of the royalties payable to Penn and $364.5 million of the royalties paid to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)for 2020-2023 vaccine sales.

NIH and Penn did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. government is owed royalty payments under the terms of the license BioNTech has taken for certain patents owned by the NIH, among other entities.

Advertisement

Penn’s lawsuit had said BioNTech owes the school a greater share of its worldwide vaccine sales for using “foundational” messenger RNA (mRNA) inventions developed by Penn professors and Nobel Prize winners Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman.

The company also amended its license agreements with both NIH and Penn, agreeing to pay a low single-digit percentage of its vaccine net sales to both the entities.

Both settlements include a framework for a license to use NIH and Penn’s patents in combination products.

The agreements do not constitute an admission of liability in either case, the company said.



Source link

Advertisement

Pennsylvania

PHOTOS: Storm damage across central Pennsylvania

Published

on

PHOTOS: Storm damage across central Pennsylvania


HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Gusty storms caused damage across central Pennsylvania, toppling trees onto cars, buildings, utility lines, street lights, and more.

In Harrisburg, the storm left debris from trees strewn about roadways across the city.

Along Front Street near Riverfront Park, numerous trees were toppled in the park and on the roadway. There, Harrisburg’s 4th of July festivities

A large tree took down the traffic light at Front and Chestnut. abc27 News spotted Harrisburg Public Works crews working to clean up the mess.

Advertisement

Across the river in Lemoyne, trees fell on several parked cars.

An abc27 News photojournalist at the scene saw trees atop two parked cars there.

Back in Harrisburg, a tree branch fell and struck a house on Pennwood Road in the city.

Kaylee Lindenmuth / abc27 News — Pennwood Road at Angenese Street, Harrisburg

East of the city, numerous trees were reported downed as well.

Near Hershey, an abc27 News viewer sent in a photo of a tree which struck a deck.

Another abc27 News viewer in Mechanicsburg shared photos of downed trees in her neighborhood.

Those trees came down in yards and, in one case, on a house.

In York County, downed trees closed Interstate 83 for a time.

Advertisement

Across the area, over 120,000 power customers were reported out because of the storms.



Source link

Continue Reading

Pennsylvania

They Gathered to See ‘Big Boy,’ Were Felled by the Heat

Published

on

They Gathered to See ‘Big Boy,’ Were Felled by the Heat



A historic train drew a huge crowd in Pennsylvania on Thursday, but the extreme heat came with it. Officials in Berks County declared a mass-casualty incident after more than 100 people waiting to see “Big Boy,” billed as the world’s largest steam-powered locomotive, suffered heat-related problems at the Reading & Blue Mountain Railroad Outer Station in Muhlenberg Township, reports UPI, citing local media. Temperatures hit about 106 degrees Fahrenheit as the train’s arrival was delayed for more than an hour.


Emergency calls began around 1:30pm local time. Forty-five people were taken to local hospitals, with one person who went into cardiac arrest revived before transport, authorities said. Children and older adults made up most of the patients. Big Boy ultimately passed through the station around 2:30pm en route to Philadelphia.

Advertisement


With Independence Day festivities looming, Muhlenberg Police Chief Randall Hoover cautioned that revelers should prep for continued heat, per NBC Philadelphia, which notes that some attendees at the Big Boy event had started showing up as early as 9am. “Heat is going to be an issue, stay hydrated,” Hoover advises. The CDC notes that heat-related illnesses can run the gamut from heat rash and cramps to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, per ABC27.





Source link

Continue Reading

Pennsylvania

Happy Valley Casino revenue rises in second month, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says

Published

on

Happy Valley Casino revenue rises in second month, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board says


Happy Valley Casino in State College posted a sharp increase in gambling revenue in its second month of operation, according to newly released figures from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

After questions and concerns followed the casino’s first-month revenue report, the latest numbers show gains for both slot machines and table games.

Slot wagers jumped from about $6.5 million in the first month to more than $31 million in the second month. The casino’s gross revenue for slots — described as the amount remaining after taxes and other mandated payments — rose from about $713,000 in the first month to about $3.1 million in the second month. The report also shows an increase in table games revenue.

The new report notes that 17 slot machines have been added, bringing the total to 587.

Advertisement

Happy Valley Casino opened after close to six years of development. Gaming Control Board administrators said they are confident about its impact, noting that the casino is “not only producing hundreds of jobs for the community,” but is also “giving back with tax revenue that’s being used within the community.”

The casino’s original general manager, Eric Pearson, left last month. There was no word yet on a new general manager.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending