Pharmaceutical Watchdog Rebukes Pfizer CEO for “Disgracefully Misleading” Public Over Children’s COVID-19 Jab

Pfizer’s CEO has been rapped by the U.K.’s pharmaceutical watchdog for making “disgracefully misleading” statements about children’s COVID-19 shots.

💥 Pfizer’s CEO has been rapped by the UK’s pharma watchdog for making statements that were “disgracefully misleading” & “extremely promotional in nature”

“There is simply no evidence that healthy children are at risk from the SARS COV-2 virus"https://t.co/i9QlYeqkuS

— New World Odor™ (@hugh_mankind) November 27, 2022

WATCH:

‘This is absolutely huge…Pfizer have deep pockets don’t forget that.’

Dr Renee Hoenderkamp reacts to Pfizer's CEO being rapped for making ‘misleading’ statements. pic.twitter.com/mx2FTp3PVb

— GB News (@GBNEWS) November 28, 2022

Telegraph broke the story:

Dr Albert Bourla used an interview with the BBC last December to claim that “there is no doubt in my mind that the benefits, completely, are in favour of” vaccinating youngsters aged five to 11 against COVID-19.

He argued that “Covid in schools is thriving” adding: “This is disturbing, significantly, the educational system, and there are kids that will have severe symptoms.”

The interview was published on December 2nd – before the vaccine had been approved by Britain’s medical regulator for this age group.

Shortly after the article’s publication, a complaint was submitted to the pharmaceutical watchdog – the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) – by UsForThem, a parent campaign group which was set up to promote the plight of children during the pandemic.

The complaint alleged that Dr. Bourla’s remarks about the children’s vaccine were “disgracefully misleading” and “extremely promotional in nature”, arguing that it breached several clauses of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s (ABPI) code of practice.

“There is simply no evidence that healthy schoolchildren in the U.K. are at significant risk from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and to imply that they are is disgracefully misleading,” they said.

In September 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), had advised against a mass roll-out for children aged 12-15, saying the “margin of benefit” was “considered too small” and citing the low risk to healthy children from the virus.

But less than a fortnight later, ministers gave the green light for youngsters to be given a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab with the U.K.’s Chief Medical Officers arguing that this would help to keep schools open.

It was not until February 2022 that the JCVI ruled that children aged 5-11 could be offered the vaccine – but ministers said the decision should be left up to parents.

A code of practice panel, convened by the PMCPA, found that Pfizer had breached the code in a number of different ways, including by misleading the public, making unsubstantiated claims, and by failing to present information in a factual and balanced way.

Thomas Lifson commented via American Thinker:

Pfizer appealed the findings, arguing Dr Bourla’s remarks were based on “up-to-date scientific evidence” and could be substantiated by the “publicly available independent benefit-risk assessments”. 

An appeal board panel met in November, where the breaches relating to misleading the public, making unsubstantiated claims and the lack of balance were upheld.

The more serious findings, including that Pfizer had brought discredit to the industry, had encouraged irrational use of a medicine and had failed to maintain high standards, were overturned.

The full case report will be published in coming weeks.

Pfizer is one of the largest television advertisers in the United States.  That’s why I don’t expect this strong rebuke of its CEO to get much publicity here.