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 to have resolved the matter outside of court.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing debate around the ethics of using biological samples taken from patients without their consent, and the lack of compensation for the Lacks family despite the immense scientific and medical impact of Henrietta Lacks' 'immortal' cells. It's the second settlement reached by the Lacks estate, which has accused biomedical companies of profiting from a racist medical system that took advantage of Black patients.

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.

  • Henrietta Lacks' cells were taken from her tumor in 1951.
  • Lacks died of cervical cancer at age 31 in the same year.
  • In 2023, the Lacks estate reached an undisclosed settlement with Thermo Fisher Scientific.
  • The latest settlement with Novartis was finalized in federal court in Maryland in February 2026.

The players

Henrietta Lacks

A poor tobacco farmer from southern Virginia who married and moved with her husband to Turner Station, a historically Black community outside Baltimore. Her cervical cancer cells were taken without her knowledge in 1951 and became the first immortalized human cell line, enabling countless medical breakthroughs.

Novartis

A Swiss-based pharmaceutical giant that was sued by the Lacks estate for unjustly profiting off Henrietta Lacks' 'stolen' cells.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

A biotechnology company that reached an undisclosed settlement with the Lacks estate in 2023 over commercializing the results of 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 around the ethics of using biological samples taken from patients without their consent, and the lack of compensation for the Lacks family despite the immense scientific and medical impact of Henrietta Lacks' 'immortal' cells. It underscores the need for greater accountability and transparency in the biomedical industry when it comes to profiting off of patients' biological materials.