Pfizer Sues Former Employee For Stealing Confidential Info On Its Megablockbuster COVID-19 Vaccine

Pfizer Inc PFE has sued its former associate director of clinical statistics in a California court to get a handle on allegedly stolen information. The Company's lawsuit focuses on the COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, and two cancer monoclonal antibodies.

• In a new lawsuit filed in California, published by Bloomberg, Pfizer says an employee, Chun Xiao Li, uploaded more than 12,000 files, including "confidential Pfizer documents," to a personal Google Drive account and personal devices.
• The Company says it "has yet to understand the full scope" of the alleged theft thanks to the "sheer number" of documents involved. 
• She even provided Pfizer's security team with a decoy laptop before her exit. 
• According to the suit, Li was supposed to start work at the clinical-stage biopharma company Xencor Inc XNCR at the end of this month.
• "Ms. Li has misappropriated Pfizer information concerning a broad range of topics regarding Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and monoclonal antibody programs," Pfizer said in its suit. 
• The confidential information she stole also discloses Pfizer's analyses of its vaccine and drug programs, recommendations based on its Covid-19 studies, clinical development strategies and timelines, and various other highly sensitive Pfizer information.
• Price Action: PFE shares are down 0.15% at $51 during the market session on the last check Wednesday.