A coalition of more than 60 African civil society groups has written an open letter to Moderna, calling on billionaire CEO Stéphane Bancel to immediately withdraw vaccine patents his company has filed in South Africa. The groups say Moderna’s attempt to enforce intellectual property rights poses long-term barriers to the production of lifesaving mRNA vaccines on the African continent. For well over a year, Moderna, Pfizer and other drugmakers have lobbied successfully to block a waiver on COVID vaccine patent rights at the World Trade Organization.