Arbutus books $59.1M third-quarter profit while extending patent fight against Pfizer and BioNTech

Arbutus Biopharma reported net income of $59.1M for the third quarter of 2026 when it published results on 10 November, and said it held $337.5M in cash and securities at the end of the period. The material available does not explain what drove the profit.

The company has also moved some of its cash back to investors. In October it completed a $230M tender offer. The information on file does not say how the buyback relates to the quarter-end cash balance.

Arbutus and its partner Genevant are broadening their patent campaign over lipid nanoparticle delivery technology used in mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. They have filed new suits against Pfizer and BioNTech at the Tokyo District Court and have amended an existing Canadian case against the same defendants. No damages figures or hearing dates were provided.

On the pipeline side, the FDA in October lifted the clinical hold on the investigational new drug application for AB-101, an oral PD-L1 inhibitor. A hold is a regulatory bar on studies going ahead, so its removal lets the programme proceed under its application. No trial timelines were disclosed.

One legal matter is unresolved. The US Federal Circuit has yet to rule on the appeal in the Moderna dispute, which turns on 28 U.S.C. §1498.