Germany's CureVac and Britain's GSK have settled a years-long patent dispute with Pfizer and its partner BioNTech over the mRNA vaccine technology that was at the forefront of the world's fight against COVID-19.

The complex settlement, which hands payouts and royalties to CureVac and partner GSK, comes as BioNTech is inching toward an acquisition of its one-time COVID-19 vaccine competitor.

The chapter on Pfizer and BioNTech’s mRNA patent feud with Germany’s CureVac is coming to a close, even as lawsuits over the vaccine technology continue to play out on several other fronts. | Pfizer and BioNTech have settled an mRNA patent lawsuit originally brought by CureVac in the U.