Fact Check: Did Pfizer Claim COVID Vaccine Was 95% Effective?
NewsweekDec 21, 2023
UK: Pfizer Accused of Promoting 'Unlicensed' COVID Vaccine
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The Facts
A UK watchdog has accused Pfizer of damaging the pharmaceutical industry's reputation by promoting an unlicensed COVID vaccine on X, formerly Twitter, breaching regulatory codes.
The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority was referring to a November 2020 tweet by a US-based Pfizer official when the platform was still called Twitter.
The Spin
Narrative A
It's all too easy to accuse Pfizer of occasional mistakes years after things turned normal post-COVID. The company, which once swiftly produced a COVID vaccine and achieved record-breaking sales to pull the world back from the brink of a pandemic catastrophe, now faces a natural market downturn. This only highlights the unpredictable and thankless nature of the health industry.
Narrative B
Pfizer clearly played along with attempts to exaggerate its COVID vaccine's efficacy, violating consumer protection laws. It may deny the claims, but there's no escaping responsibility when its own senior executives spread such disinformation on social media — especially at a crucial moment during the pandemic. The world's courts must take the company to task.
