An unjust enrichment claim filed by Ron Lacks, the grandson of Henrietta Lacks, is proceeding against multinational pharmaceutical company, Ultragenyx. Henrietta Lacks was the Baltimore woman from whom cervical cancer cells, known as ‘HeLa cells’, were extracted without her informed consent in the 1950s. These cells went on to play a transformative role in medical research for several decades. According to the initial reporting, District Judge Deborah L. Boardman stated that if Ron Lacks’ allegations are true, it is plausible that Ultragenyx could be deemed liable for unjust enrichment.
Henrietta Lacks received treatment for her cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Astonishingly, without her knowledge or consent, doctors took tissue samples from her before she succumbed to the disease in 1951. Now, Ron Lacks asserts that Ultragenyx unjustly profits from the exploitation of his grandmother’s cells, a claim the pharmaceutical company denies.
As the case moves forward, legal professionals globally will watch closely, not only because of the potential liability for Ultragenyx, but for the wider implications it could have within the bioethics and pharmaceutical sectors.