Novartis Settles with Henrietta Lacks' Estate Over Use of Her 'Stolen' Cells

The settlement ends litigation between the pharmaceutical giant and the estate of the woman whose cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks that alleged the pharmaceutical company 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. Details of the agreement are not public, but the Lacks family and Novartis said they are 'pleased they were able to find a way to resolve this matter outside of court'.

Why it matters

This settlement is the second in lawsuits filed by the Lacks estate that accused biomedical businesses of reaping rewards from a racist medical system that took advantage of Black patients like Henrietta Lacks. The case highlights the ongoing debate over who should benefit from the commercialization of medical breakthroughs derived from cells taken without a patient's knowledge or consent.

The details

Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took Lacks' cervical cells in 1951 without her knowledge, and the tissue taken from her tumor before she died became the first human cells to continuously grow and reproduce in lab dishes. HeLa cells became a cornerstone of modern medicine, enabling countless scientific and medical innovations, including the development of genetic mapping and even COVID-19 vaccines, but the Lacks family wasn't compensated along the way despite that incalculable impact on science and medicine.

  • Lacks' cells were taken from her tumor in 1951.
  • In 2023, Lacks' estate reached an undisclosed settlement with the biotechnology company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
  • Just over a week after the estate settled the case with Thermo Fisher Scientific, attorneys for the estate filed a lawsuit against Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical in 2023.
  • The settlement with Novartis was finalized in federal court in Maryland in February 2026.

The players

Novartis

A Swiss-based pharmaceutical company that was sued by the Henrietta Lacks estate for unjustly profiting off her cells.

Henrietta Lacks

A poor tobacco farmer from southern Virginia who died of cervical cancer at age 31. Her cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 and became a cornerstone of modern medicine.

Lacks' Estate

The estate of Henrietta Lacks, which filed lawsuits against biomedical companies for unjustly profiting off her 'stolen' cells.

Johns Hopkins Hospital

The hospital where Lacks' cervical cells were taken in 1951 without her knowledge.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

A biotechnology company that reached an undisclosed settlement with the Lacks estate in 2023 over commercializing the HeLa cell line.

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What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing debate over who should benefit from the commercialization of medical breakthroughs derived from cells taken without a patient's knowledge or consent, and the need for greater accountability and equitable compensation in the biomedical industry.