Novartis and Viatris latest facing lawsuit over HeLa cell misuse

Global pharmaceutical companies Novartis and Viatris are the latest hit with a lawsuit claim pertaining to alleged misuse of the ‘HeLa’ cell line from the estate of woman whose cancerous tissue cells were taken without consent. 

The HeLa cell line was created from cancerous cervical cells harvested from Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman treated for cervical cancer at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland in 1951. What makes the HeLa cell line so powerful are the cells’ ability to survive and reproduce indefinitely in lab conditions. Previous cells cultured from human cells would only live for a few days, whereas HeLa cells can be used for extensive studies due to their proliferation. HeLa cells have been behind some of the biggest medical advances in history, such as the development of a polio vaccine and in cancer studies. 

As was common practice in the mid-20th century, Lacks was not informed of the cell harvesting, nor of their use in scientific studies. Her family was not made aware of their usage until the 1970s. Lacks eventually died of cervical cancer in 1951, aged 31. Her story continues to be a major example of privacy concerns and patient rights in medical research.  

In their latest suit brough against Novartis and Viatris, the estate of Henrietta Lacks claims that the companies are unlawfully profiting from the use of HeLa cells in the creation of profitable drug products without gaining permission from or giving monetary compensation to her estate. Previous lawsuits from the estate were brought against companies such as Thermo Fisher and Ultragenyx, the former of which has since been settled. The estate claims that Novartis’ herpes drug Famvir, cancer treatment Kymriah, and spinal muscular atrophy therapy Zolgensma all used HeLa cells in their development and research. Viatris is being accused of misusing the cell line in the testing of herpes drug Denavir and depression treatment Mylan-Mirtazapine. Spokespeople for both companies declined to comment on the lawsuits. 

The estate claim Lacks’ cells were exploited for research purposes and profited from by powerful organisations against her and her family’s will, and are requesting that any company profiting from commercialised products using HeLa cells be donated to her estate, and a court order blocking HeLa cell use without their permission. 

Source: 

Novartis, Viatris face new lawsuit over ‘HeLa’ cell misuse claims [Accessed August 6, 2024] https://www.reuters.com/legal/novartis-viatris-face-new-lawsuit-over-hela-cell-misuse-claims-2024-08-05/