Pfizer's coronavirus social media posts tarnish the reputation of the pharmaceutical industry

Pfizer has been accused by Britain's pharmaceutical watchdog of “bringing discredit” to the industry after executives used social media to promote an “unlicensed” coronavirus vaccine.

company The company was found to have violated regulatory laws five times, including by making misleading claims, failing to maintain high standards and promoting unlicensed medicines.

The ruling by pharmaceutical watchdog Prescription Drug Practice Standards Agency (PMCPA) relates to a complaint about a message posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) by a senior Pfizer employee in November 2020.

The complaint raised concerns about Pfizer's “misleading and unlawful social media abuse.” Promote the new coronavirus vaccine” states the judgment.

They claimed that this “misbehavior” on social media was “even more widespread” than they had thought, and “reached all the way to the very top of British business”.

“Active dissemination of unlicensed medicines”

The complaint focused on social media posts about X by Dr Barclay Phillips, Pfizer UK's medical director. He shared the following post from a Pfizer employee in the US: “Our vaccine candidate is 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 and 94 percent effective in people over 65 years old. We will submit all data to health authorities within a few days. We would like to thank all the volunteers who participated in our clinical trials and everyone who is working tirelessly to fight this pandemic.”

Four other Pfizer employees, including one “senior” colleague, also published the same message.

The PMCPA ruling noted that the message contained “limited” information about the vaccine's effectiveness and contained no safety information or reference to adverse events.

It added that the social media post “enabled the active promotion of unlicensed medicines on Twitter to healthcare workers and the general public in the UK”.

A spokesperson for Pfizer UK said the company was “fully aware of and accepts the issues highlighted by this PMCPA ruling”, adding that it “deeply regrets this”.

They said: “At Pfizer UK, we have a comprehensive policy on the personal use of social media in relation to Pfizer’s business and, supported by employee briefings and training, ensure that colleagues do not use social media in relation to Pfizer medicines and vaccines. access is prohibited.”

“Personal use of social media by employees of the UK pharmaceutical industry in connection with company business is a difficult area for pharmaceutical companies and we have taken all appropriate steps that could reasonably be expected of a pharmaceutical company. It continues.”

As part of its response to the ruling, Pfizer said it has initiated a review of its employees' use of social media platforms to ensure compliance with its rules and regulatory norms.

“Accidental and unintentional”

This is the sixth time that Pfizer has been reprimanded by regulators for promoting its coronavirus vaccine.

In the watchdog's November 2022 ruling, Pfizer's chief executive said: 'Misleading' statements about childhood vaccines.

Following a complaint from campaign group UsForThem, the PMCPA found that Pfizer had misled the public, made unsubstantiated claims and failed to present information in a balanced manner.

Three of the other Pfizer lawsuits related to LinkedIn posts, one related to claims made in a press release, and one related to an X post.

In the latest series of breaches, Pfizer was charged £34,800 in administrative costs.

Ben Kingsley, head of legal at Asforzem, said: “The number of times senior executives at Pfizer have been found guilty of serious regulatory breaches is astonishing. “These include the most serious violations.”

“However, the impact on Pfizer and its stakeholders remains dire. This hopeless regulatory system for a multibillion-dollar, life-or-death industry has become a sham and is in dire need of reform. ing.”

Dr Phillips, Pfizer's UK country medical director, said the social media post was “accidental and unintentional”, adding: Adhere to policies and industry codes of practice when using personal social media. ”

David Watson, from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said the standards of practice overseen by the PMCPA set “high standards for companies that reflect and exceed UK law”.

He added that incidents found to have brought discredit to the industry will be publicized in the medical, pharmaceutical and nursing media.