Novartis settles with Henrietta Lacks' estate over use of her cancer cells to advance medicine

PBS NewsHour
by Brian Witte, Associated Press
March 2, 2026
1 views

Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks that alleged the pharmaceutical giant unjustly profited off her cells, which were taken from her tumor without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical advancements, including the polio vaccine.

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