Haskins said Pfizer did acknowledge that Monsanto had a research agreement with Simmons and BYU, but when asked to what extent Simmons' research was used in the company's COX-2 project, Haskins said the company would not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit says that BYU was not aware that it had been cheated of credit and proceeds it was entitled to under the contract until information came to light in another lawsuit. In 1998, pharmaceutical company Merck asked Simmons to testify in Monsanto's patent infringement suit against Merck, the BYU lawsuit says, and that's when Simmons learned that Monsanto was taking sole credit for the discovery of COX-2.

In another lawsuit with the University of Rochester, the BYU complaint says, Monsanto in a brief said that "Brigham Young's scientists were the first to identify methods of treatment using selective COX-2 inhibitors."

When BYU tried to resolve the issues with Monsanto, the lawsuit says, the company initially denied "even knowing who Dr. Simmons was. When confronted with the signed agreement," the complaint says, "Monsanto admitted to working with Dr. Simmons" but continued to deny working with them on a project to develop a COX-2 selective NSAID.

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