Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has reportedly reached a confidential settlement with the family of Henrietta Lacks, decades after her cells were taken without consent and used in global medical research.
The agreement marks the second such resolution involving Lacks' descendants and a major biotech firm over the use of the famed HeLa cell line, BBC reports.
Settlement Details
The Switzerland-based drugmaker resolved the lawsuit outside court. Both sides confirmed the arrangement but declined to disclose financial terms. A joint statement said they were pleased to resolve the matter privately.
Lacks' family filed the case in Maryland nearly 70 years after her death. They argued companies profited from cells obtained without permission. The estate has pursued multiple legal actions against pharmaceutical firms.
In 1951, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital removed a tissue sample during cancer treatment.
Physicians did not inform Lacks that they sent the cells to researchers. Unlike most samples, her cells multiplied indefinitely in laboratory conditions.
Scientists named the line "HeLa," using the first letters of her name. The cells advanced research in vaccines and disease studies worldwide. The World Health Organization credits HeLa cells with enabling breakthroughs in polio, HIV and cancer research.
Lacks died months after her diagnosis at age 31.
Her family did not learn about the cells' widespread use for decades. They received no compensation during the commercialization of the cell line.
Prior Legal Actions
In 2023, the family settled with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) under undisclosed terms. Additional lawsuits against other pharmaceutical companies remain active.
Attorney Ben Crump told The New York Times the agreement provides long-overdue accountability.
