The family of Henrietta Lacks has reached an undisclosed settlement with pharmaceutical company Novartis, marking another legal victory in their effort to hold companies accountable for profiting from her cells without consent. Lacks’ “immortal” HeLa cells, taken during cancer treatment in 1951, became foundational to major scientific breakthroughs while her family remained unaware for decades and received no compensation.
Tag: Henrietta Lacks
Posted inINTERNATIONAL
Novartis settles with Henrietta Lacks’ estate over use of her ‘stolen’ cells to advance medicine
Novartis AG has reached an undisclosed settlement with the estate of Henrietta Lacks over claims it profited from her cells, taken without consent in 1951 and used in groundbreaking medical research. The case is one of several lawsuits filed by her family seeking compensation for the use of the HeLa cell line.
Posted inBaltimore News
Coppin State University names Health and Human Services Building after Henrietta Lacks
Coppin State University’s Health and Human Services Building now bears the name of Henrietta Lacks, honoring the Baltimore woman whose cells became the first immortal human cell line. The building, CSU’s largest academic facility, houses nursing, social work, criminal justice, and other programs, and was unveiled during a ceremony featuring CSU President Anthony L. Jenkins and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.
Posted inCivil Rights
Ben Crump, ‘Black America’s Attorney General,’ speaks on George Floyd and the continued fight against injustice
By D. Kevin McNeir Special to the AFRO Few attorneys are as closely tied to America’s civil rights struggles as Benjamin Crump. Known for representing families in high-profile wrongful death cases, Crump has become a leading legal voice in the fight against police brutality and racial injustice. His clients have included the families of Trayvon Martin […]
Posted inBaltimore News
Morgan State University unveils new Henrietta Lacks statue for National Blacks in Wax Museum
By Alexis TaylorAFRO Managing Editor Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose immortal cells have circled the globe, contributing to medical breakthroughs, research and vaccines, was honored at Morgan State University (MSU) with a wax figure on March 15. Lacks, born in August 1920, is the Black woman responsible for giving the world the first cells capable […]
Posted inBlack History
Ben Crump announces lawsuit against big pharma on behalf of Henrietta Lacks family
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump and attorney Christopher Seeger have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of Henrietta Lacks against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Novartis Gene Therapies Inc., Viatris Inc. and Mylan Pharmaceuticals for the wrongful and unauthorized commercialization of her cells.
Posted inBaltimore News
New Reginald F. Lewis Museum exhibit honors Black health professionals, examines disparities in medical field for Black people
By Karyn Cook, Special to the AFRO In Maryland, where 31.4 percent of the population is Black, only 12.3 percent of physicians identify as Black, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore recently debuted a new exhibit, “Blacks […]