Henrietta Lacks family settles second lawsuit over cell use

The family of Henrietta Lacks and Novartis confirmed a confidential settlement in a lawsuit alleging the company used her cells without permission; Lacks's HeLa cells have been widely used in medical research.

The family of Henrietta Lacks reached a confidential settlement with Novartis after suing over the company's use of her cells. Lacks's cells were taken while she was treated for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins in 1951 and later became the HeLa cell line used broadly in research. The agreement was announced as confidential by both parties. Key details: - Her cells were taken without her knowledge while she received treatment at Johns Hopkins in 1951. - The Lacks family filed the lawsuit in August, alleging Novartis used the cells for profit without permission. - Novartis and the family confirmed they reached a confidential settlement. - HeLa cells have been reported as contributing to vaccines and treatments, including work on polio, COVID-19, HPV, HIV/AIDS, leukemia, Parkinson's and influenza. Summary: The confidential settlement resolves the family's legal claim against Novartis over use of HeLa cells, and the family's lawyer described the outcome as justice for descendants as reported. Undetermined at this time.