Family of Henrietta Lacks Scores Victory in Lawsuit Against Pharmaceutical Company

The family of Henrietta Lacks, whose cancer cells have been used in medical research without her consent for decades, has achieved a significant milestone in their quest for justice. A federal judge recently denied pharmaceutical company Ultragenyx’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Lacks’ family last year, marking a major victory in their fight.

Henrietta Lacks’ biopsied cells, known as “HeLa” cells, have been instrumental in the development of vaccines for polio and COVID-19. However, these cells were taken and used by doctors without Lacks’ permission while she was undergoing treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins University in 1951. Despite Johns Hopkins claiming they did not profit from the use of Lacks’ cells, her family believes otherwise and has taken legal action against several pharmaceutical companies.

After reaching a settlement with Thermo Fisher Scientific in August 2023, Lacks’ family filed a lawsuit against Ultragenyx, which the company attempted to have dismissed. The judge’s decision to allow the case to proceed has been hailed as a crucial step in holding the scientific community accountable for their actions.

Attorneys representing the Lacks family, including prominent civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, have called on the pharmaceutical industry to work with the family to right the wrongs committed over 70 years ago. They see this ruling as an opportunity to correct a historic injustice and are hopeful that Big Pharma will come to the table to resolve the matter in a fair and just manner.