ILoveOurWorld | 1 points | Feb 09 2022 22:28:24

Pfizer sues ex-employees over trade secret theft

Two chemists are accused of taking information to start their own drug company

Pfizer has filed a lawsuit against two former researchers, claiming they stole the pharmaceutical giant’s trade secrets and other confidential information before leaving the company, then used the information to set up their own competing firm.

The researchers, both PhD chemists, are Xiayang Qiu and Min Zhong. Both worked in drug discovery and development for Pfizer or predecessor companies for more than 20 years before resigning from Pfizer in June 2018.

According to the complaint, filed in Connecticut federal court, the two chemists were dissatisfied with their prospects at Pfizer and began scheming in late 2017 to leave the company and start their own firm. In the early months of 2018, the complaint says, they began amassing documents about Pfizer drug discovery programs, including compounds in development and other company secrets.

With other unnamed defendants, they formed their own company, Regor Therapeutics. They also formed a sister company, QILU Regor Therapeutics, with funding provided by the Chinese drug company Qilu Pharmaceutical.

In an email, a Regor media contact, Lauren Xuan, says the company is aware of the Pfizer suit. “We believe that the lawsuit is entirely meritless and will defend ourselves vigorously,” she writes.

https://cen.acs.org/business/Pfizer-sues-ex-employees-over/100/web/2022/02