Pennsylvania

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

Published

1 year ago

December 27, 2024

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.

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.

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.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to threatening Trump and ICE agents online

Published

11 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to threatening Trump and ICE agents online

Shawn Monper, 33, of Butler, Pennsylvania, entered the plea on Monday before U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy to two counts of threatening federal officials with intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with and retaliate against them in…

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania man charged after son brought loaded gun to school, DA says

Published

24 hours ago

April 13, 2026

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Pennsylvania man charged after son brought loaded gun to school, DA says

A Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, man was charged after his son went to school with his loaded gun, the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said Monday.

The DA’s office said Russell Matthews, 58, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering the welfare of a child.

East Pikeland Township Police responded to Hares Hill Elementary School on Monday at around 12:15 p.m. for the report of a student who brought a handgun to school.

At school, the student noticed the handgun inside their backpack and told a school counselor, according to the DA’s office. The student told officials that he recognized it and that it belonged to his father. The semiautomatic handgun was loaded with five rounds of ammunition, the DA’s office said.

Matthews told police that he put the gun in the wrong backpack, the DA’s office said.

Nobody was injured during the incident.

“We are grateful to the school officials and the East Pikeland Township Police Department who worked quickly to ensure that [Hares] Hill Elementary School is safe again,” Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said in a statement.

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Pennsylvania

Cynthia Ann Gargasz, Sharon, PA

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

SHARON, Pa. (MyValleyTributes) – Cynthia Ann Gargasz, age 75, passed away peacefully, on Friday, April 10, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Cynthia was born on October 5, 1950, in Sharon, Pennsylvania, to Mary and Carl Spruk.

Cindy grew up in Farrell, Pennsylvania, where she attended Farrell High School and graduated from class of 1969. She went on to dedicate 30 years of hard work at Packard Electric before retiring.

Cindy found joy in simple comforts at home and maintaining her home and family. Throughout her life, she cared deeply for her animal friends and would always feed and nurture any additional critters that would cross her path. She loved sitting with a cup of coffee, watching the birds and welcoming visits from friends and family. She cherished gathering around the kitchen table for meals and conversation and was always adding simple touches to her space to make it feel more like home. She enjoyed hosting holidays, where everyone felt welcome. Cindy had an eye for style, enjoyed meeting up with friends and dancing the night away to good music. Most recently during her illness, she very much enjoyed trips to the corral drive-in, for vanilla ice cream and burger visits with family.

Cindy is preceded in death by her parents Mary and Carl Spruk; her sister, Carol Crisan; and her brother, Edward Spruk.

She is survived by her children, Frank (Reagan) Gargasz and Ashley Gargasz; her grandson, Jordan DeCarmen; her brother, Mark Spruk (Gretchen); and her nieces and great-nieces.

Per her wish, family and close friends may call on Tuesday April 14, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., in the Stephen J. Sherman Funeral Home

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., in the funeral home, with Father James Power, officiating.

Burial will take place in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery Hermitage, PA.

Arrangements entrusted to the SHERMAN Funeral Home & Crematory.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Cynthia Ann (Spruk) Gargasz, please visit our floral store.

A television tribute will air Tuesday, April 14, at the following approximate times: 6:47 a.m. on WYTV, 9:43 a.m. on WKBN, 10:58 a.m. on FOX and 8:12 p.m. on MyYTV. Video will be posted here the day of airing.

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