Novartis Settles With Henrietta Lacks’ Estate

March 4, 2026

The estate of Henrietta Lacks has settled a lawsuit against pharmaceutical company Novartis over the unauthorized use of her cells, which were taken without consent from her cervical tumor in 1951. These "HeLa" cells became the first immortal human cell line and enabled crucial medical breakthroughs including polio and COVID-19 vaccines, yet Lacks' family received no compensation despite companies profiting from them for decades. This represents the second settlement for the estate, following a 2023 agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, as part of ongoing litigation against multiple biomedical companies accused of exploiting a racist medical system.

Who is affected

The estate and family of Henrietta Lacks
Novartis (Swiss pharmaceutical company)
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (previously settled in 2023)
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (facing pending lawsuit)
Viatris pharmaceutical company (facing pending lawsuit)
Johns Hopkins Hospital (where cells were originally taken)
Black patients who were taken advantage of by the racist medical system

What action is being taken

Litigation with Ultragenyx and Viatris pharmaceutical companies remains active
Attorneys for the Lacks family have indicated there could be additional complaints filed

Why it matters

This case addresses a significant historical injustice where a Black patient's biological material was taken without consent and commercialized for decades, generating substantial profits for pharmaceutical companies while her family received nothing. The HeLa cells have had an incalculable impact on modern medicine, enabling countless scientific breakthroughs including vaccines and genetic mapping, making the lack of compensation to the Lacks family particularly egregious. The settlements and ongoing litigation represent an effort to hold companies accountable for profiting from a racist medical system and may establish precedents for consent and compensation in biomedical research.

What's next

Litigation with Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical and Viatris remains active and will continue
Attorneys for the Lacks family have indicated there could be additional complaints filed against other companies

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint