Details of the agreement, which was finalized in federal court in Maryland this month, aren't public.

Lacks' cells were taken from her tumor without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical advancements, including the polio vaccine.

Details of the agreement, which was finalized in federal court in Maryland this month, aren't public.

Novartis is the second drug company to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a woman whose cells have enabled huge advances in science.

The family of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were taken without her consent as she battled cervical cancer, settled a lawsuit with Novartis.