New York University sued the pharmaceutical company Pfizer for breach of contract in Manhattan Supreme Court on Thursday, arguing that the university is owed a portion of the sales of a drug used to treat lung cancer. 

The claim dates back to a 1991 agreement in which cancer-fighting technology was licensed to a startup called Sugen, which was founded by NYU scientists, William L. Mentlik of Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik, who is representing the university, wrote in Thursday’s complaint.